How to type superscript numbers on iPhone
There is no superscript key on the iPhone keyboard, but x², m³ and ¹ˢᵗ are still typeable — they are individual Unicode characters, not a font toggle. Where the set is solid, where it thins out, and the fastest way to get one on screen.
Word processors have a superscript button that raises whatever you type until you turn it off again. iOS has nothing like it, in Messages, Notes, or anywhere else you type on a phone. What actually appears in a caption or a chemistry note when you see x² is not a raised, smaller version of the number 2 — it is a completely different character that happens to be drawn small and high, sitting at its own address in Unicode next to the ordinary digits.
Why there is no superscript toggle to begin with
A toggle needs somewhere to store the instruction “everything after this point is raised” — a formatting layer underneath the text. A text field in Messages, a bio, or almost any app on a phone holds plain characters and nothing else. There is no layer to hold that instruction, so the only way to get a superscript effect into a plain-text field is to type a character that already looks like one, the same trick behind bold, small caps and every other fancy alphabet on a phone.
Digits and math signs: the part that actually holds together
This is the one corner of superscript Unicode that is genuinely complete. Every digit from 0 to 9 has its own dedicated superscript character, and so do the plus sign, the minus sign, the equals sign, and both parentheses. That covers exponents (x², 10⁶), units (m², km³, ft²) and footnote markers (a claim¹) without ever running into a missing character. If what you actually want is a number raised above the line, you are covered completely.
Letters: mostly there in lowercase, missing in one familiar place
Most lowercase letters also have a matching superscript character, assembled the way small caps and other Unicode extras were — piece by piece, for phonetic notation and footnote-style abbreviations, not as a planned full alphabet. That is enough to build the ordinal endings people actually reach for: 1ˢᵗ, 2ⁿᵈ, 3ʳᵈ and 4ᵗʰ all work, letter for letter, because s, t, n, d, r and h all have superscript matches.
The letter that consistently does not is q — the same gap that shows up in small caps, for the same underlying reason: nobody assembling these sets one letter at a time for a specific notation system ever needed a superscript q badly enough to add one. And unlike digits, there is no superscript alphabet at all for capital letters — a superscript word that starts with a capital has to leave that one letter at normal size, because Unicode never built a raised counterpart for A through Z.
Typing one on iPhone
The usual route is the same as any other fancy character: find the one you want in a symbol reference or a web generator, copy it, switch back to the app you were writing in, and paste. For a single one-off character that is fine. For x² or m³ typed daily, it is worth setting up once instead of hunting every time.
The faster route: a Text Replacement shortcut
Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement lets you save any text — including a Unicode character you cannot type directly — as a short shortcut that expands as you type, on any keyboard, in any app. Paste x² into the Phrase field, set the Shortcut to something like “x2”, and typing x2 followed by a space drops in x² from then on. The same trick works for m³, an ordinal ending, or a footnote mark you use often. The full setup, including the mistake that makes a shortcut misfire, is covered in the guide on Text Replacement shortcuts.
Where Kibo fits
Kibo carries a range of fancy text styles on the keyboard itself — Bold, Italic, Script, Small Caps, Circled and the rest — but superscript is not one of them, for the same reason it is uneven everywhere else: there is no complete alphabet behind it to map onto, capital letters especially. Rather than pretend otherwise, it is left out. What Kibo does carry is a saved-phrase panel for exactly this kind of repeated, awkward-to-retype text — save x² or an ordinal ending once and drop it in from the keyboard afterwards, the same panel used for an address or an email signature. It works with Full Access left off, since inserting saved text is drawing text, not reading the clipboard. Kibo is free to download.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a superscript button on the iPhone keyboard?
No. iOS has no formatting layer in plain-text fields for a toggle to write to. What looks like superscript is a separate Unicode character typed or pasted in, not a style applied to the ordinary digit.
Can I type x² or m³ directly on iPhone without copying and pasting?
Not with a single keypress, but you can get close: save the character once in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement as a short shortcut, and typing that shortcut anywhere expands it automatically from then on.
Why can I superscript most letters but not Q or any capital?
Superscript letters were added to Unicode piecemeal, for phonetic and footnote notation, not as a complete alphabet. Q never got a match, the same gap that shows up in small-caps text, and no capital letter did either — there is no superscript alphabet for A through Z at all.
Try it on your own keyboard
Kibo is a free custom keyboard for iPhone with real mechanical key sounds, a wardrobe of themes and RGB backlight effects. No account, no ads, and it works with Full Access left off.