These characters are also common in chemical formulas and mathematical equations. Subscript characters are similar to superscript characters, but they appear below the normal text baseline instead of above it. Some common uses for these characters include chemical formulas, such as Ba²+, and mathematical equations, such as E=mc². Superscript characters appear above the normal text baseline. Subscript and superscript are both symbols that appear after other characters in lines of text. In this article, we discuss subscript and superscript symbols and include step-by-step instructions to help you use these characters in different programs. If you're working on a project that requires you to use special characters, you might benefit from learning how to type subscript and superscript symbols. In some situations, these people may need to insert characters that don't appear on a traditional alphanumeric keyboard. Many people in the workplace are responsible for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other written material.