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Short answer: to cross out text in LaTeX, load the ulem package and use \sout{text}; to cross out terms inside an equation, load the cancel package and use \cancel{term}. Both are free CTAN packages, and the choice depends on whether you are striking prose or cancelling mathematics.
This guide is for researchers, analysts and students who need strikethrough in a LaTeX manuscript, problem set or revision draft, and who want to know which command produces which mark and why a given attempt misbehaves. It covers the variants people search for separately (cross out, strikethrough, strikeout, slash through a letter) because they all resolve to the same two packages.
What it is used for in research
Two different jobs are both called “crossing out” in LaTeX, and they use different packages.
- Marking deleted prose. Showing text that has been removed or replaced in a revision draft, a response-to-reviewers file or a collaboratively edited document. See clean versus marked-up manuscript versions for how revised manuscripts are supplied, and LaTeX and Overleaf collaborative writing for a tracked-changes workflow.
- Cancelling terms in mathematics. Showing that a factor cancels, a term vanishes, or a quantity tends to a value, as in a derivation or teaching handout.
Install or access
Both packages are distributed through CTAN, the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network.:
- ulem (“Package for underlining”), maintained by Donald Arseneau, version dated 2019-11-18. CTAN lists it as included in TeX Live and MiKTeX. Page: ctan.org/pkg/ulem.
- cancel (“placing lines through maths formulae”), maintained by Donald Arseneau, version 2.2 dated 2013-04-12, public domain. CTAN lists it as included in TeX Live and MiKTeX. Page: ctan.org/pkg/cancel.
With a package that CTAN lists as part of TeX Live or MiKTeX you load it with a \usepackage line in the preamble. In an online editor such as Overleaf the preamble line is the same.
Step-by-step: cross out text and equations
Strikethrough and strikeout for text (ulem)
- In the preamble add
\usepackage[normalem]{ulem}. Thenormalemoption matters (see Troubleshooting). - In the body, wrap the text:
The effect was \sout{significant} not significant. - For a different mark, use
\xout{text}, which marks the text over with a run of slashes (//////) instead of a line.
Cross out an equation or a term in math (cancel)
- In the preamble add
\usepackage{cancel}. - Wrap the term:
$\frac{\cancel{x}\,y}{\cancel{x}\,z}$draws a diagonal slash through eachx. - Choose the direction or shape:
\cancel(diagonal),\bcancel(opposite slope),\xcancel(an X through the term). - To show a term cancelling to a value, use
\cancelto{0}{x}, which draws a diagonal arrow pointing to the value. This one works in math mode only.
Slash through a letter or symbol
The same \cancel, \bcancel and \xcancel commands work on a single character: $\cancel{a}$. According to the package header, the first three work in both math and text mode.
Output and how to read it
| Command | Package | Mark produced | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|
\sout{...} |
ulem | A horizontal line drawn through the text | Running text; can break across line ends |
\xout{...} |
ulem | Text marked over with a run of slashes (//////) | Running text |
\cancel{...} |
cancel | One diagonal slash | Math and text mode |
\bcancel{...} |
cancel | One diagonal slash of negative slope | Math and text mode |
\xcancel{...} |
cancel | An X through the term | Math and text mode |
\cancelto{value}{expr} |
cancel | A diagonal arrow pointing to the value | Math mode only |
Source: package headers of ulem.sty (2019-11-18) and cancel.sty (v2.2, 2013-04-12) on CTAN (checked 2026-11-07).
Rule of thumb: if the thing being struck is words in a sentence, use \sout; if it is a symbol or term in a formula, use \cancel and its relatives.
The cancel package’s author adds a design note in the package header: drawing slashes through mathematics to indicate cancellation is poor design.
Troubleshooting
Emphasized text suddenly appears underlined
The ulem header states that in LaTeX it replaces italics with underlining in \emph-phasized text. A \normalem declaration, or the normalem package option, restores normal \emph behavior. Load it as \usepackage[normalem]{ulem} unless you want underlined emphasis.
Cancel lines overprint neighboring symbols
By default the cancel package makes no change to horizontal spacing, so the slash can overprint adjacent material. Use the makeroom option to add room. The thicklines option thickens the line.
Change the color of the cancel line
With the color package loaded, redefine the color with \renewcommand{\CancelColor}{\color{red}}.
Size of the value in \cancelto
The value takes one of the options samesize, smaller (the default) or Smaller.
\cancelto gives an error in running text
It is math-mode only. Put it inside $...$ or a math environment. For other layout problems in displayed equations see starting a new line in a LaTeX equation.
You want a plain horizontal line, not a strike
A rule between paragraphs is a different task; see horizontal lines in LaTeX.
Free alternatives
Every option here is a free CTAN package; there is no paid tool involved. Descriptions are those on each package’s CTAN page.
| Package | CTAN description | Best matched to |
|---|---|---|
| ulem | Underline command that can break across line ends; double and wavy underlines, plus strikethrough and crossing-out | Striking out prose |
| cancel | Diagonal strike-through lines to cancel terms, and arrows with limits to cancel a term to a value, within maths expressions | Cancelling terms in formulas |
| soul (version 3.2, 2026-03-06) | Hyphenable letterspacing, underlining, and “striking out, etc.”; supports UTF-8 | Another route to striking out text; consult its documentation for the exact commands |
FAQ
How do I cross out text in LaTeX?
Load \usepackage[normalem]{ulem} in the preamble and write \sout{text}. This draws a line through the text; \xout{text} marks it over with slashes instead.
How do I cross out an equation or a term in a formula?
Load \usepackage{cancel} and use \cancel{term}, \bcancel{term} or \xcancel{term} in math mode. \cancelto{value}{expr} adds an arrow to a value.
What is the difference between strikethrough, strikeout and cross out in LaTeX?
They are different names for marking something as deleted. The ulem package covers strikethrough and crossing-out of text, and the cancel package covers diagonal cancellation in math.
Does strikethrough work in Overleaf?
The packages are loaded in the preamble as in any LaTeX document, and both are listed on CTAN as included in TeX Live.
How do I put a slash through a single letter?
Use \cancel{a} (or \bcancel or \xcancel) from the cancel package.
Sources (official documentation)
Checked 2026-11-07.
- CTAN, ulem package page: https://ctan.org/pkg/ulem; header of
ulem.sty(2019-11-18): https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/ulem/ulem.sty - CTAN, cancel package page: https://ctan.org/pkg/cancel; header of
cancel.sty(v2.2, 2013-04-12): https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/cancel/cancel.sty - CTAN, soul package page (version 3.2, 2026-03-06): https://ctan.org/pkg/soul
