REFERENCE

MARKDOWN
CHEATSHEET

Complete syntax reference for Markdown and GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM). Every element with examples you can copy directly.

HEADINGS

Element	Syntax	Notes
Heading 1	`# Heading 1`	Largest heading, maps to <h1>
Heading 2	`## Heading 2`	Maps to <h2>
Heading 3	`### Heading 3`	Maps to <h3>
Heading 4	`#### Heading 4`	Maps to <h4>
Heading 5	`##### Heading 5`	Maps to <h5>
Heading 6	`###### Heading 6`	Smallest heading, maps to <h6>
Setext H1	Heading ======	Underline-style, H1
Setext H2	Heading ------	Underline-style, H2

EMPHASIS

Element	Syntax	Notes
Bold	`bold text`	Also `__bold text__`
Italic	`italic text`	Also `_italic text_`
Bold + Italic	`*bold italic*`	Also `___bold italic___`
Strikethrough	`~~strikethrough~~`	GFM only
Highlight	`==highlighted==`	Some parsers only (not standard GFM)

LINKS

Element	Syntax	Notes
Inline link	`[link text](https://example.com)`	Basic inline link
Link with title	`[link text](https://example.com "Title")`	Title shown on hover
Reference link	`[link text][ref-id]`	Definition placed elsewhere in document
Reference definition	`[ref-id]: https://example.com`	Can be placed anywhere in the document
Auto-link	`<https://example.com>`	URL becomes a clickable link
Auto-link (email)	`<user@example.com>`	Email becomes mailto link
Bare URL (GFM)	`https://example.com`	GFM auto-links bare URLs without angle brackets

IMAGES

Element	Syntax	Notes
Inline image	`![alt text](image.png)`	Basic inline image; alt text required for accessibility
Image with title	`![alt text](image.png "Title")`	Title shown on hover (tooltip)
Reference image	`![alt text][img-ref]`	Defined as `[img-ref]: image.png`
Linked image	`[![alt](image.png)](https://example.com)`	Image that functions as a link

LISTS

Element	Syntax	Notes
Unordered (dash)	`- Item`	Can also use `*` or `+`
Unordered (asterisk)	`* Item`	Interchangeable with `-`
Ordered	`1. Item`	Numbers auto-increment in most renderers
Ordered (any number)	1. First 1. Second 1. Third	All `1.` still renders as 1, 2, 3
Nested list	- Item - Nested	Indent with 2 or 4 spaces
Nested ordered	1. Item 1. Nested	3 spaces for ordered nesting
Task list (GFM)	`- [ ] Unchecked`	Checkbox list item (space between brackets)
Task list checked (GFM)	`- [x] Checked`	Lowercase x marks as complete

BLOCKQUOTES

Element	Syntax	Notes
Single	`> Quoted text`	Renders as a blockquote element
Nested quote	`>> Nested quote`	Quote inside a quote
Multi-line	> Line 1 > Line 2	Each line prefixed with `>`
Multi-paragraph	> Para 1 > > Para 2	Blank `>` line separates paragraphs
With elements	> ## Heading > > Paragraph	Blockquotes can contain any block element

CODE

Element	Syntax	Notes
Inline code	`code`	Single backticks
Inline with backtick	`` `code with `backtick` ``	Use double backticks to wrap code containing a backtick
Fenced block	``` code here ```	Triple backticks; blank line before and after recommended
Fenced with language	```javascript const x = 1 ```	Enables syntax highlighting
Indented block	`code`	4 spaces indent (or 1 tab); must be preceded by blank line
Common languages	javascripttypescriptpythonbashcsshtmljsonyaml	Language identifiers for fenced blocks

TABLES GFM only

Element	Syntax	Notes
Basic table	\| Header \| Header \| \|--------\|--------\| \| Cell \| Cell \|	Pipes on both sides
Left-align	`\|:-------\|`	Colon on left side of dashes (default)
Center-align	`\|:------:\|`	Colons on both sides
Right-align	`\|-------:\|`	Colon on right side of dashes
Outer pipes optional	Header \| Header -------\|------- Cell \| Cell	Leading and trailing pipes are optional

TASK LISTS GFM only

Element	Syntax	Notes
Unchecked	`- [ ] Task to do`	Space between the brackets
Checked	`- [x] Completed task`	Lowercase x marks item as complete
Checked (uppercase)	`- [X] Also works`	Uppercase X is also valid in most renderers
Nested tasks	- [ ] Parent task - [x] Sub-task done - [ ] Sub-task todo	Indent with 2 spaces

HORIZONTAL RULES

Element	Syntax	Notes
Dashes	`---`	Three or more hyphens
Asterisks	`***`	Three or more asterisks
Underscores	`___`	Three or more underscores
Spaced dashes	`- - -`	Spaces between characters are allowed
Important	Must be preceded by a blank line. Without one, a line of dashes after text is parsed as a Setext H2 heading.

HTML IN MARKDOWN

Element	Syntax	Notes
Keyboard keys	`<kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>C</kbd>`	Renders styled key names
Subscript	`H<sub>2</sub>O`	Subscript text
Superscript	`E=mc<sup>2</sup>`	Superscript text
Inline span	`<span class="highlight">text</span>`	Inline styled text
Block-level	<div> # Markdown here </div>	Blank lines required for markdown inside block HTML
Details/Summary	<details> <summary>Click to expand</summary> Hidden content here </details>	Collapsible section; widely supported

ESCAPING CHARACTERS

Element	Syntax	Notes
Escape asterisk	`\not italic\`	Backslash prevents markdown parsing
Escape underscore	`\_not italic\_`	Renders as literal underscore
Escape backtick	\`not code\`	Renders as literal backtick
Escape hash	`\# Not a heading`	Renders as literal hash character
Escapable characters	\\\*\_\{\}\[\]\(\)\#\+\-\.\!\`\\|	Full list of characters that can be escaped with backslash

FRONTMATTER YAML

Element	Syntax	Notes
Opening delimiter	`---`	Triple dashes; must be the very first line of the file
String field	`title: My Post`	Unquoted strings work for most values
Quoted string	`title: "Post: With Colon"`	Quote when value contains special YAML characters
Date	`date: 2024-01-15`	ISO 8601 date format
Boolean	`draft: false`	`true` or `false`, no quotes
Array (inline)	`tags: [markdown, writing]`	Flow sequence syntax
Array (block)	tags: - markdown - writing	Block sequence syntax; 2-space indent
Number	`weight: 10`	Integers and floats without quotes
Closing delimiter	`---`	Triple dashes close the frontmatter block
Full example	--- title: "Getting Started with Markdown" date: 2024-01-15 draft: false tags: - markdown - writing weight: 1 ---

TRY IT LIVE

Paste any of these examples into the online markdown editor to see them rendered instantly.