Markdown Cheat Sheet

Master Markdown with this comprehensive syntax guide. Search and find the exact formatting you need with examples and usage tips.

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34 syntax elements found
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#

Headers

Create H1 header

Syntax:

# Header 1

Examples:

# This is an H1 Creates a level 1 header
Header 1 ======== Alternative H1 syntax with underline

Notes:

Use one # for the largest header

##

Headers

Create H2 header

Syntax:

## Header 2

Examples:

## This is an H2 Creates a level 2 header
Header 2 -------- Alternative H2 syntax with underline

Notes:

Use two ## for the second largest header

###

Headers

Create H3 header

Syntax:

### Header 3

Examples:

### This is an H3 Creates a level 3 header

Notes:

Use three ### for the third largest header

####

Headers

Create H4 header

Syntax:

#### Header 4

Examples:

#### This is an H4 Creates a level 4 header

Notes:

Use four #### for the fourth largest header

#####

Headers

Create H5 header

Syntax:

##### Header 5

Examples:

##### This is an H5 Creates a level 5 header

Notes:

Use five ##### for the fifth largest header

######

Headers

Create H6 header

Syntax:

###### Header 6

Examples:

###### This is an H6 Creates a level 6 header (smallest)

Notes:

Use six ###### for the smallest header

**text**

Text Formatting

Make text bold

Syntax:

**bold text**

Examples:

**This is bold** Creates bold text
__This is also bold__ Alternative bold syntax using underscores

Notes:

You can use either ** or __ for bold text

*text*

Text Formatting

Make text italic

Syntax:

*italic text*

Examples:

*This is italic* Creates italic text
_This is also italic_ Alternative italic syntax using underscores

Notes:

You can use either * or _ for italic text

***text***

Text Formatting

Make text bold and italic

Syntax:

***bold and italic***

Examples:

***This is bold and italic*** Creates bold and italic text
**_This is also bold and italic_** Alternative using mixed syntax

Notes:

Combine bold and italic formatting

~~text~~

Text Formatting

Strike through text

Syntax:

~~strikethrough~~

Examples:

~~This text is crossed out~~ Creates strikethrough text

Notes:

Use double tildes for strikethrough effect

`code`

Text Formatting

Inline code formatting

Syntax:

`code`

Examples:

Use `console.log()` to print Creates inline code formatting
`` `backtick` `` Use double backticks to include backticks in code

Notes:

Use backticks for inline code formatting

* item

Lists

Create unordered list

Syntax:

* List item

Examples:

* Item 1 * Item 2 * Item 3 Creates a bulleted list
- Item 1 - Item 2 - Item 3 Alternative using hyphens
+ Item 1 + Item 2 + Item 3 Alternative using plus signs

Notes:

You can use *, -, or + for unordered lists

1. item

Lists

Create ordered list

Syntax:

1. List item

Examples:

1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item Creates a numbered list
1. Item one 1. Item two 1. Item three You can use 1. for all items

Notes:

Numbers can be in any order, Markdown will auto-number

* item

Lists

Create nested list

Syntax:

* Nested item

Examples:

* Item 1 * Nested item * Another nested * Item 2 Creates nested lists with indentation

Notes:

Use 2-4 spaces or 1 tab for nesting

- [ ] task

Lists

Create task list with checkboxes

Syntax:

- [ ] Task item

Examples:

- [x] Completed task Checked task item
- [ ] Incomplete task Unchecked task item

Notes:

Use [x] for completed tasks, [ ] for incomplete

[text](url)

Links

Create inline link

Syntax:

[link text](URL)

Examples:

[Google](https://google.com) Creates a link to Google
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title") Link with hover title

Notes:

URL can be relative or absolute

[text][ref]

Links

Create reference-style link

Syntax:

[link text][reference]

Examples:

[Google][1] [1]: https://google.com Reference link with number
[Google][google-link] [google-link]: https://google.com Reference link with name

Notes:

Define the reference anywhere in the document

<url>

Links

Create automatic link

Syntax:

<URL>

Examples:

<https://example.com> Creates automatic link
<email@example.com> Creates automatic email link

Notes:

Angle brackets create automatic links

![alt](url)

Images

Embed inline image

Syntax:

![alt text](image URL)

Examples:

![Logo](logo.png) Embeds an image with alt text
![Logo](logo.png "Logo title") Image with title attribute

Notes:

Very similar to links, but with ! at the beginning

![alt][ref]

Images

Embed reference-style image

Syntax:

![alt text][reference]

Examples:

![Logo][logo] [logo]: logo.png Reference-style image

Notes:

Define the image reference separately

```code```

Code

Create fenced code block

Syntax:

```language code ```

Examples:

```javascript console.log('Hello'); ``` JavaScript code block with syntax highlighting
``` Plain code block ``` Code block without language specification

Notes:

Use three backticks for code blocks

code

Code

Create indented code block

Syntax:

code line

Examples:

function hello() { console.log('Hello'); } Code block using 4-space indentation

Notes:

Indent with 4 spaces or 1 tab for code blocks

| col1 | col2 |

Tables

Create table

Syntax:

| Header 1 | Header 2 | | -------- | -------- |

Examples:

| Name | Age | | ---- | --- | | John | 25 | | Jane | 30 | Simple table with headers and data

Notes:

Use pipes | to separate columns, dashes for header separator

| :--- | :---: | ---: |

Tables

Create table with column alignment

Syntax:

| Left | Center | Right | | :--- | :----: | ----: |

Examples:

| Left | Center | Right | | :--- | :----: | ----: | | L | C | R | Table with left, center, and right alignment

Notes:

Use :--- for left, :---: for center, ---: for right alignment

> quote

Blockquotes

Create blockquote

Syntax:

> Quote text

Examples:

> This is a blockquote Simple blockquote
> Multi-line > blockquote > example Multi-line blockquote

Notes:

Use > at the beginning of each line

>> quote

Blockquotes

Create nested blockquote

Syntax:

>> Nested quote

Examples:

> Outer quote >> Nested quote > Back to outer Nested blockquotes

Notes:

Use multiple > for nesting levels

---

Horizontal Rules

Create horizontal rule

Syntax:

---

Examples:

--- Horizontal rule with dashes
*** Horizontal rule with asterisks
___ Horizontal rule with underscores

Notes:

Use 3 or more -, *, or _ on their own line

Line Breaks

Create line break

Syntax:

Line 1 Line 2

Examples:

First line Second line Line break with two trailing spaces
First line\ Second line Line break with backslash (some parsers)

Notes:

End line with 2 spaces for line break

[^ref]

Footnotes

Create footnote reference

Syntax:

Text[^1]

Examples:

Text with footnote[^1] [^1]: Footnote content Numbered footnote
Text with footnote[^note] [^note]: Named footnote Named footnote

Notes:

Define footnotes at the bottom of the document

<tag>

HTML

Use HTML tags directly

Syntax:

<tag>content</tag>

Examples:

<div>HTML content</div> HTML div element
<span style="color: red">Red text</span> Inline HTML with styling

Notes:

Most HTML tags work directly in Markdown

<!-- -->

HTML

Add HTML comments

Syntax:

<!-- comment -->

Examples:

<!-- This is a comment --> HTML comment (not displayed)

Notes:

Comments are not rendered in the output

\char

Escaping

Escape special characters

Syntax:

\special_character

Examples:

\*Not italic\* Escape asterisks to prevent italic formatting
\# Not a header Escape hash to prevent header formatting
\[Not a link\] Escape brackets to prevent link formatting

Notes:

Use backslash to escape Markdown special characters

: definition

Lists

Create definition list

Syntax:

Term : Definition

Examples:

Apple : A red fruit Banana : A yellow fruit Definition list with terms and definitions

Notes:

Not supported by all Markdown parsers

*[abbr]:

Text Formatting

Define abbreviations

Syntax:

*[HTML]: HyperText Markup Language

Examples:

The HTML specification *[HTML]: HyperText Markup Language Abbreviation with hover definition

Notes:

Not supported by all Markdown parsers

Complete Markdown Reference

Below is the complete visual reference guide showing Markdown syntax alongside rendered output examples.

Headers

Syntax

# H1 ## H2 ### H3 #### H4 ##### H5 ###### H6 Alternatively, for H1 and H2: Alt-H1 ====== Alt-H2 ------

Result

H1

H2

H3

H4

H5
H6

Alt-H1

Alt-H2

Emphasis

Syntax

*italic* or _italic_ **bold** or __bold__ **_bold and italic_** ~~strikethrough~~

Result

italic or italic

bold or bold

bold and italic

strikethrough

Lists

Syntax

Unordered list: * Item 1 * Item 2 * Nested item 2.1 * Nested item 2.2 * Item 3 Alternate syntax: - Item 1 - Item 2 + Item 3 Ordered list: 1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item 1. Nested ordered item 2. Another nested item

Result

Unordered list:

  • Item 1
  • Item 2
    • Nested item 2.1
    • Nested item 2.2
  • Item 3

Alternate syntax:

  • Item 1
  • Item 2
  • Item 3

Ordered list:

  1. First item
  2. Second item
  3. Third item
    1. Nested ordered item
    2. Another nested item

Links

Syntax

Inline-style: [Link text](https://example.com) Inline with title: [Link with title](https://example.com "Title text") Reference-style: [Reference link][ref] [ref]: https://example.com Automatic links: <https://example.com> Plain URLs: https://example.com

Result

Inline-style:
Link text

Inline with title:
Link with title

Reference-style:
Reference link

Automatic links:
https://example.com

Plain URLs:
https://example.com

Images

Syntax

Inline-style: ![Alt text](image.jpg) With title: ![Alt text](image.jpg "Image title") Reference-style: ![Alt text][img] [img]: image.jpg "Image title"

Result

Inline-style: [Image: Alt text]

With title: [Image: Alt text with title]

Reference-style: [Image: Alt text]

Code

Syntax

Inline code: `code` Code block with syntax highlighting: ```javascript var s = "JavaScript syntax"; alert(s); ``` ```python s = "Python syntax" print(s) ``` Indented code block: // 4 spaces indentation function example() {{ console.log("Hello"); }}}

Result

Inline code: code

Code block with syntax highlighting:

var s = "JavaScript syntax";
alert(s);
s = "Python syntax"
print(s)

Indented code block:

// 4 spaces indentation
function example() {{
  console.log("Hello");
}}}

Blockquotes

Syntax

> Single blockquote > Blockquote with > multiple lines > Nested blockquotes > > Nested quote > Blockquotes with **Markdown** inside

Result

Single blockquote
Blockquote with multiple lines
Nested blockquotes
Nested quote
Blockquotes with Markdown inside

Tables

Syntax

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 | | -------- | -------- | -------- | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 | | Cell 4 | Cell 5 | Cell 6 | Alignment with colons: | Left | Center | Right | | :-------- | :-------: | --------: | | Aligned | Aligned | Aligned | | Left | Center | Right |

Result

Header 1Header 2Header 3
Cell 1Cell 2Cell 3
Cell 4Cell 5Cell 6

Alignment with colons:

LeftCenterRight
AlignedAlignedAligned
LeftCenterRight

Horizontal Rule

Syntax

Three or more: --- *** ___

Result

Three or more:

Line Breaks

Syntax

Line 1 with two spaces at end Line 2 Paragraph 1 with empty line between Paragraph 2

Result

Line 1 with two spaces at end
Line 2

Paragraph 1 with empty line between

Paragraph 2

Footnotes

Syntax

Here's a sentence with a footnote[^1]. [^1]: This is the footnote text. You can also use named footnotes[^note]. [^note]: Named footnotes still appear numbered.

Result

Here's a sentence with a footnote1.

1 This is the footnote text.

You can also use named footnotes2.

2 Named footnotes still appear numbered.

Task Lists

Syntax

- [x] Completed task - [ ] Uncompleted task - [x] Task with **bold text** - [ ] Another unchecked task

Result

  • Completed task
  • Uncompleted task
  • Task with bold text
  • Another unchecked task

Inline HTML

Syntax

You can use HTML tags directly in Markdown: <div class="custom-class"> Content with **markdown** inside </div> <details> <summary>Click to expand</summary> Hidden content here... </details>

Result

You can use HTML tags directly in Markdown:

Content with markdown inside
Click to expand

Hidden content here...