Glitch is not zalgo
The two get confused because they share Unicode characters. Zalgo stacks marks upward and downward until the letter drowns: it is a saturation effect. Glitch is after something else — the look of a digital signal dropping out.
Hence three combined techniques here: the combining strikethrough that cuts through the letter instead of sitting above it, unstable case alternating capitals and lowercase with no logic, and a light dusting of diacritics. The result stays readable, which is the point: unreadable glitch text stops evoking anything at all.
Where it works, and where it will not
The effect survives on Discord, in Instagram and TikTok bios, in YouTube titles and on X. It gets flattened anywhere text is normalised: Instagram and Twitter usernames, email addresses, a website's title tag, and most administrative form fields.
Spare a thought for screen readers too: glitched text is read out character by character, marks included. Avoid it in content that has to stay accessible.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from zalgo?
Zalgo saturates with vertical marks. Glitch combines a cutting strikethrough, unstable case and light noise — and stays readable.
Can I use it as a username?
Rarely. Instagram, TikTok and X normalise usernames and reject most of these characters. It does work in your bio and in posts.
Is the result always the same?
No, the effect is random: the regenerate button produces a different variation each time.