How can I italicize a word in an iMessage?

You can't. Messages doesn't have formatting capabilities.

𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, but with Unicode and not with a control such as what some websites and some apps use.

𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓸𝓭𝓮 🅘🅢 ɐ 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝔣𝔩𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝕤𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖‼️

With some knowledge of Unicode, all sorts of things are possible.

Text-converting websites and tools, and Unicode keyboards, are all available, too.

Hello~ Any help here by clicking on below?

Use message effects with iMessage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support*

*Use message effects with iMessage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support

~Katana-San~

Kurt Lang wrote:

Whoops! Thinking of the wrong thing. Yes, you can do simple formatting (bold, italic, etc.). What you can't do is select a different font.

Hello~ You can do no wrong in my eyes ;-)

~Katana-San~

Kurt Lang wrote:

Whoops! Thinking of the wrong thing. Yes, you can do simple formatting (bold, italic, etc.). What you can't do is select a different font.

I try very hard to forget that you can do that. I thought SMS was quite enough for my needs.

It's one of those things that get added mostly because so many users ask for it. But - why? It's just a message. The text doesn't need to wiggle or whatever the other effects are.

Eye candy where it has no real purpose.

I also liked email better when it was just text. Okay, RTF for email is okay. But I think HTML email contributed to the fact that most of us hate it now. At least my work email is largely just text. Except for what I get from the Federal Government...

Kurt Lang wrote:

You're going to have to look the other way a few thousand times. 🙂

Hello again ~ I am willing to do so!! “Eye candy where it has no real purpose...” agreed. You would be amazed how it impresses the grandchildren though.

~Katana-San~

Kurt Lang wrote:

Or that. 🙂

It's been months since I've seen any user use that little trick on these forums, so had forgotten you could do that.

I’ll leave the “normalization of Unicode” joke for another day.

Whoops! Thinking of the wrong thing. Yes, you can do simple formatting (bold, italic, etc.). What you can't do is select a different font.

You're going to have to look the other way a few thousand times. 🙂

Or that. 🙂

It's been months since I've seen any user use that little trick on these forums, so had forgotten you could do that.

I’ll leave the “normalization of Unicode” joke for another day.

Awwwwww! 😀