How to create superscript text in GitHub flavored markdown?

[sophialee92]

I’m trying to format some text as superscript in my GitHub README file but having trouble getting it to work properly.

I found some suggestions online and attempted to use HTML styling like this:

<span style="vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; top: -0.4em;">my superscript content</span>

Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t seem to work in GitHub markdown. The text just displays normally without any superscript formatting. I need to show mathematical expressions and references with raised text in my documentation. What’s the correct way to achieve superscript formatting in GitHub flavored markdown? Are there any alternative methods that actually work on the GitHub platform?

[Laura219]

hit this same issue yesterday. github strips most css styling, so position/vertical-align won’t work. besides ^{that everyone mentioned, there’s also _{for subscripts. one trick i use: combine regular markdown bold or italic with sup tags. github handles this fine if you put the markdown syntax outside the html tags like bold2 text.}}

[SurfingWave]

The <sup> tag works, but it gets messy with nested markdown inside superscripts. GitHub’s parser chokes if you try putting links or emphasis inside sup tags. My workaround? Unicode superscript characters for simple stuff - ² ³ ¹ for numbers and ᵃ ᵇ ᶜ for letters. Grab these from character map tools or Unicode reference sites. Limited character options, sure, but they render consistently everywhere on GitHub, including mobile. I keep a text file of common Unicode superscripts since they’re impossible to remember. Perfect for chemical formulas and basic math where you only need numbers and common letters.

[sarahj]

Yeah, <sup> is the standard way, but here’s something that tripped me up when I started using it heavily in my docs. GitHub’s markdown parser gets weird about whitespace and line breaks around HTML tags. Found this out the hard way when my superscripts kept breaking randomly across files. What actually works is keeping the <sup> tags right against the text with no spaces: text<sup>2</sup>more text. Also, that LaTeX math support is pretty new and doesn’t render everywhere on GitHub yet, so don’t rely on it for complex notation. For references, I like combining superscript with anchor links: some claim<sup>[1](#ref1)</sup>. Makes clickable reference numbers that actually work as navigation in longer docs.

[deltaDreamer]

The Problem:

You’re trying to add superscript text to your GitHub README file using HTML, but it’s not working as expected. You need a reliable method to display superscript text, particularly for mathematical expressions and references, within GitHub Flavored Markdown.

TL;DR: The Quick Fix:

Use the <sup> HTML tag directly within your GitHub Markdown. Ensure there are no spaces between the tag and the text.

This is normal text<sup>superscript</sup> and back to normal.

For mathematical expressions, consider using GitHub’s LaTeX support with $ delimiters:

$x^2 + y^2 = z^2$

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

GitHub Flavored Markdown supports a subset of HTML tags. While you can use many HTML tags, the parser’s behavior can be unpredictable around spacing and line breaks. The <sup> tag is generally well-supported for superscript, but ensuring it’s directly adjacent to the text (no extra spaces) will prevent unexpected rendering issues. LaTeX offers a more robust and consistent approach for mathematical expressions, but it is not always rendered perfectly everywhere. If you need only simple superscript numerical references, then unicode characters are a consistent and portable choice.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Step 1: Implement the <sup> tag:

1. Identify the text you want to format as superscript in your README.md file.

2. Enclose the text within the <sup> and </sup> tags. Make absolutely sure there are no spaces immediately before or after the <sup> and </sup> tags.

   This is regular text<sup>superscript text</sup>. This text is after the superscript.
   

Step 2: Use LaTeX for Mathematical Expressions (Optional):

1. If you have mathematical expressions, enclose them within dollar signs ($...$) for inline math or double dollar signs ($$...$$) for display math, using the ^ symbol for superscripts.

   $x^2 + y^2 = r^2$  This is an inline mathematical expression with superscripts.
   
   $$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$$ This is a displayed mathematical equation.
   

Step 3: Employ Unicode Superscripts for Simple Cases (Optional):

Use Unicode superscript characters directly (e.g., ² ³ ¹ for numbers, ᵃ ᵇ ᶜ for letters). Be aware of the limitations in character set and availability.

Step 4: Verify Rendering:

Commit your changes and push them to your GitHub repository. Check the rendered README file in your browser to ensure that the superscript text is displayed correctly.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Incorrect Tag Usage: Double-check that you’ve used the correct tags (<sup> and </sup>) and that they are correctly closed. Remember the strict no-space rule directly next to the tag.
• Nested HTML: Avoid nesting complex HTML structures within the superscript tags, as this can lead to unpredictable results.
• LaTeX Errors: Ensure your LaTeX code is syntactically correct, otherwise, the rendering might fail. If LaTeX expressions still don’t render, it might be due to the limitations of the GitHub renderer or the complexity of the equation.
• Browser Caching: If the changes don’t appear immediately, try clearing your browser’s cache and hard-refreshing the page.

Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) README.md file snippet, the specific text you’re trying to superscript, and any error messages you’re seeing. The community is here to help!