Markdown Syntax Quick Reference

Markdown uses intuitive symbols to format text. Here is a complete reference of the most commonly used syntax:

Text Formatting

• Bold: **text** or __text__ → text
• Italic: *text* or _text_ → text
• Bold + Italic: ***text*** → text
• Strikethrough: ~~text~~ → text
• Inline code: `code` → code

Headings

Use # symbols at the start of a line (1-6 # symbols for h1-h6):

• # Heading 1 → <h1>
• ## Heading 2 → <h2>
• ### Heading 3 → <h3>
• #### Heading 4 → <h4>

Lists

Unordered lists use -, *, or + followed by a space. Ordered lists use numbers:

• - Item 1 (or * Item 1)
• 1. First ordered item
• 2. Second ordered item

Links and Images

• Link: [Display Text](https://url.com)
• Image: 
• Link with title: [Text](url "Tooltip")

Code Blocks

Fenced code blocks use triple backticks, optionally followed by the language name for syntax highlighting:

• ```javascript — opens a JavaScript code block
• ```python — opens a Python code block
• ``` — generic code block without syntax highlighting

Other Elements

• Blockquote: > This is a blockquote
• Horizontal rule: --- (three or more dashes on their own line)
• Line break: Two spaces at end of line, or a blank line between paragraphs

Where Markdown Is Used

Markdown is the standard format for many platforms and tools:

• GitHub / GitLab: README.md files, pull request descriptions, issue comments, wikis
• Static site generators: Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, Astro — content is written in Markdown
• Documentation tools: MkDocs, Docusaurus, GitBook
• Note-taking apps: Obsidian, Notion, Bear, Typora
• Chat platforms: Slack, Discord, and many others support a Markdown-like syntax
• Email: Some email clients and newsletter tools accept Markdown