Markdown Cheat Sheet: The Syntax You Actually Use

Text formatting

1. **bold** renders as bold
2. *italic* or _italic_ renders as italic
3. ~~strikethrough~~ renders as strikethrough (GitHub-flavoured)
4. `inline code` wraps text in a code span
5. A blank line starts a new paragraph — a single line break usually does not

Headings

Prefix a line with one to six hashes followed by a space. Use a single h1 per document and keep the order logical, skipping levels only when the content genuinely demands it.

1. # Heading 1
2. ## Heading 2
3. ### Heading 3
4. #### Heading 4

Lists

1. - starts an unordered list item; use * or + instead if you prefer
2. 1. starts an ordered list; number order does not matter as long as it starts at 1
3. Indent by two to four spaces to nest a list inside another
4. - [ ] an unchecked task item
5. - [x] a checked task item

Links and images

1. [link text](https://example.com) creates a hyperlink
2. [link text](https://example.com "Title") adds a hover title
3.  embeds an image
4. <https://example.com> auto-links a bare URL in GFM
5. [reference][1] with a [1]: https://example.com definition below lets you reuse links

Tables

A pipe table needs a header row, a separator row of dashes, and one row per record. Alignment is set with colons in the separator row. The pipes do not need to line up — the renderer ignores whitespace — but consistent spacing keeps the source readable.

1. | Name | Value |
2. | --- | --- |
3. | Alpha | 1 |
4. | Beta | 2 |

Code blocks

Wrap inline code in single backticks. For a block, use three backticks on their own lines, optionally followed by a language name to enable syntax highlighting in renderers that support it.

1. ```js
2. const greeting = 'hello';
3. ```

Blockquotes and horizontal rules

1. > starts a blockquote; stack >> to nest one level deeper
2. > Blockquotes are often used for callouts and notes
3. --- on its own line draws a horizontal rule (three or more dashes, asterisks or underscores)

Escaping and gotchas

1. Put a backslash before a character to show it literally: \* prints an asterisk
2. A line with two or more trailing spaces, or a trailing backslash, forces a line break
3. Blank lines around block elements prevent list and paragraph merging
4. Not every renderer supports every feature — preview before publishing