Grapheme Cluster Break - Extend
Extend is a value that marks characters which continue an existing grapheme cluster without initiating a new one, such as combining marks, variation selectors, and zero-width joiners. When a text segmentation algorithm encounters an Extend character after a base character, it attaches it to that base, ensuring that sequences of diacritics or other modifiers remain part of a single user-perceived character. This prevents breaks between the base and its attached marks, so that editing, cursor movement, and line wrapping treat the entire cluster as one unit. Extend characters themselves never start a cluster, and they are typically invisible or spacing-neutral, though they may alter the visual appearance of the preceding base. The value also applies to certain emoji modifiers and tags, which must stay glued to their preceding emoji or sequence. By grouping such characters, Extend helps maintain linguistic and typographic integrity across different scripts and symbols.