Markdown Syntax Reference

Deep-dive guides for every Markdown element — syntax, edge cases, common mistakes, and how each platform handles it. Need a quick overview instead? Start with the cheat sheet.

Text Formatting

Bold

Copy-paste bold examples with the rendered result beside each, why underscores fail mid-word, and a support table for GitHub, Discord, Slack and Obsidian.

Italic

Copy-paste italic examples with rendered output, when to pick asterisks over underscores, mid-word emphasis rules, and a platform support table.

Strikethrough

Copy-paste strikethrough examples with rendered output, plus a support table showing where double tildes work and where a single tilde does nothing.

Highlight

Copy-paste highlight examples with rendered output, where equals-sign syntax works, the mark tag fallback, and GitHub-friendly alternatives that render.

Structure

Headings

Copy-paste heading examples with rendered output, how anchor links are generated from each heading, and a support table for ATX and setext styles.

Lists

Copy-paste list examples with rendered output: bullets, numbers, the indentation nesting actually needs, and why your ordered list keeps restarting at 1.

Blockquotes

Copy-paste quote examples with rendered output: blockquote syntax, multi-paragraph and nested quotes, attribution, and GitHub-style callout admonitions.

Horizontal Rule

Copy-paste divider examples with rendered output, plus the spacing rule that turns your horizontal rule into an accidental heading instead of a line.

Links & Media

Links

Copy-paste link examples with rendered output: inline, reference-style, autolinks and titles, plus how to escape parentheses that silently break a URL.

Images

Copy-paste image examples with rendered output, plus what Markdown cannot do alone: resizing, clickable images, and relative paths that break inside repos.

Advanced

Code Blocks

Copy-paste code examples with rendered output: inline backticks, fenced blocks with syntax highlighting, and how to nest backticks inside a code block.

Tables

Copy-paste table examples with rendered output, colon alignment for each column, escaping pipes inside cells, and workarounds for what tables cannot do.

Task Lists

Copy-paste checkbox examples with rendered output, nesting rules for sub-tasks, and the single missing space that stops a task list rendering at all.

Footnotes

Copy-paste footnote examples with rendered output: numbered and named labels, multi-paragraph notes, and a table of which platforms actually render them.

Markdown Hacks

Copy-paste inline HTML that works inside Markdown: underline, centred content, resized images, keyboard keys, collapsible sections and clickable thumbnails.