Markdown cheat sheet

39 Markdown elements with the source and the rendered result side by side. Copy any of them, or insert them from the Markdown editor.

Basic syntax

The original 2004 syntax. Every Markdown app renders these.

Heading
```
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
```
Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3
Put a space after the # and a blank line before and after the heading. Up to six levels.
Alternate heading
```
Heading 1
=========

Heading 2
---------
```
Heading 1

Heading 2
Any number of = or - under the text; only levels 1 and 2.
Bold
```
**bold text**
```
bold text
Use asterisks inside a word: Love**is**bold.
Italic
```
*italic text*
```
italic text
Inside a word use asterisks, not underscores: A*cat*meow.
Bold and italic
```
***really important***
```
really important
Blockquote
```
> A quote.
>
> Second paragraph, nested:
>> Deeper.
```
A quote.

Second paragraph, nested:

Deeper.

Blank lines before and after. Headings, lists and code work inside.
Ordered list
```
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
```
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
Numbers need not be in order; the first one sets the start.
Unordered list
```
- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item
```
- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item
Use one marker (-, * or +) per list. Indent two spaces to nest.
Code
```
Run `npm install` first.
```
Run npm install first.
Backticks inside code: ``a `literal` backtick``.

Code block

    indented four spaces
    is a code block

indented four spaces
is a code block

Horizontal rule
```
---
```
Blank lines around it, or it becomes a heading.
Link
```
[sdev tools](https://www.sdev.in/tools "Browser tools")
```
sdev tools
The title in quotes is optional. Replace spaces in a URL with %20.
Autolink
```
<https://www.sdev.in>
```
https://www.sdev.in
Image
```
![sdev logo](/pwa-192.png)
```
Wrap it in a link to make it clickable: [![alt](img.png)](https://…).
Line break
```
Two spaces at the end  
break the line.<br>So does the br tag.
```
Two spaces at the end
break the line.
So does the br tag.
Trailing spaces are easy to miss; <br> is the visible option. A backslash at the end works in CommonMark.
Escaping
```
\* Not a bullet

1968\. Not a list

\# Not a heading
```
* Not a bullet

1968. Not a list

# Not a heading
A backslash shows the next punctuation mark literally.

Extended syntax

Added by CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown and others. Most apps render most of them.

Table
```
| Syntax | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Header | Title |
| Paragraph | Text |
```
Syntax Description
Header Title

Paragraph Text
Cell widths need not line up. Show a pipe inside a cell with |.

Syntax	Description
Header	Title
Paragraph	Text

Table alignment

| Left | Center | Right |
| :--- | :---: | ---: |
| a | b | c |

Left	Center	Right
a	b	c

Fenced code block
```
```json
{
  "name": "sdev",
  "tools": 60
}
```
```
```
{
  "name": "sdev",
  "tools": 60
}
```
Three backticks or tildes, no indenting. The language after the fence enables highlighting where supported.
Footnote
```
A claim with a footnote.[^1]

[^1]: The footnote text.
```
A claim with a footnote.¹
1. The footnote text. ↩
Identifiers can be words; footnotes are numbered in order of first use.

Heading ID

### My heading {#custom-id}

Jump to [the heading](#custom-id).

My heading

Jump to the heading.

Definition list
```
First term
: Definition of the first term.

Second term
: One definition.
: Another definition.
```
First term

Definition of the first term.

Second term

One definition.

Another definition.
Strikethrough
```
~~The world is flat.~~ We now know it is round.
```
~~The world is flat.~~ We now know it is round.

Task list

- [x] Write the press release
- [ ] Update the website
- [ ] Contact the media

Write the press release
Update the website
Contact the media

Emoji
```
Gone camping! :tent: Be back soon. :joy:
```
Gone camping! ⛺ Be back soon. 😂
Shortcode names vary between apps; pasting the emoji itself always works.
Highlight
```
I need to highlight these ==very important words==.
```
I need to highlight these very important words.
Subscript
```
H~2~O
```
H₂O
Some apps use a single tilde for strikethrough instead.
Superscript
```
X^2^
```
X²

Reference link

See the [tools page][tools] and the [docs].

[tools]: https://www.sdev.in/tools
[docs]: https://www.sdev.in/courses "Courses"

See the tools page and the docs.

Keeps long URLs out of the sentence. Definitions can sit anywhere in the document.

Plain URL
```
Linked: https://www.sdev.in

Not linked: `https://www.sdev.in`
```
Linked: https://www.sdev.in

Not linked: https://www.sdev.in
Bare URLs become links; wrap one in backticks to keep it as text.

Hacks syntax

Plain HTML and entities for what Markdown has no syntax for.

Underline

Some words <ins>will be underlined</ins>.

Some words will be underlined.

Keyboard key

Press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>S</kbd> to save.

Press Ctrl + S to save.

Indent
```
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;An indented first line.
```
An indented first line.
Markdown has no tab indent; non-breaking spaces are the last resort.
Comment
```
Visible paragraph.

[This comment is hidden.]: #

Another visible paragraph.
```
Visible paragraph.

Another visible paragraph.
Blank lines before and after the comment line.

Admonition

> :warning: **Warning:** Do not push the big red button.
> :bulb: **Tip:** Blockquotes with an emoji and bold stand in for callouts.

⚠️ Warning: Do not push the big red button. 💡 Tip: Blockquotes with an emoji and bold stand in for callouts.

Image caption

![sdev logo](/pwa-192.png)
*The sdev logo, as a caption in italics.*

The sdev logo, as a caption in italics.

Symbols
```
Copy &copy; 2026 &middot; 25&deg;C &middot; &rarr; &larr; &pi; &euro;
```
Copy © 2026 · 25°C · → ← π €
Any HTML character entity works, or paste the symbol itself.

Line break in a table

| Syntax | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Paragraph | First line.<br>Second line. |

Syntax	Description
Paragraph	First line. Second line.

Table of contents
```
- [Install](#install)
- [Usage](#usage)

## Install

## Usage
```
- Install
- Usage
Install

Usage
Heading ids are made from the heading text: lower case, spaces to hyphens.

Specifications

How to use the cheat sheet

Find the element
Jump to Basic, Extended or Hacks. Each row shows the name, the Markdown source and the rendered result side by side, with a note where apps differ.
Copy or insert
Copy the source with the button under the name, or use the Insert button on the same sheet under the Markdown editor to drop it at the cursor.
Learn the rest
New to Markdown? The lessons take twenty minutes and the quiz checks what stuck; this sheet is step three, for looking things up later.

Good to know

Space after the # in headings, blank lines around headings, lists, quotes, rules and code blocks. Processors disagree when they touch.
Emphasis inside a word needs asterisks: Love**is**bold. Underscores in the middle of a word are left alone by many processors.
Do not indent paragraphs. Four spaces or a tab at the start of a line is a code block.
One bullet character per list. Switching between -, * and + mid-list starts a new list in some processors.
A line that starts with a number and a period becomes a list. Write 1968\. to keep it as text.
Spaces in a URL break the link: use %20, or put the whole URL in angle brackets.
Only attribute-less inline tags such as <br>, <sub>, <kbd> and <ins> pass through here. For centred or coloured text, image sizes and link targets, switch to the HTML tab.
Markdown inside HTML blocks is not processed. Keep the two on separate lines with a blank line between.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between basic and extended syntax?

Basic is the syntax from John Gruber's original 2004 design: headings, emphasis, lists, quotes, code, links, images and rules. Every Markdown app renders it. Extended elements such as tables, fenced code, footnotes, task lists and strikethrough were added later by CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown and other processors, and support varies by app.

Will these render in my app?

Basic syntax, yes. For extended syntax check the note under the element and test in the app you write for; GitHub, GitLab, Obsidian, Notion and static site generators each pick a slightly different set. Hacks rely on the app allowing inline HTML.

How do I use a snippet?

Copy it with the button next to its name, or open the Markdown editor, where the same sheet sits under the editor with an Insert button that drops the element at the cursor.

Where is the full specification?

The links at the bottom go to the original syntax description, the CommonMark specification and the GitHub Flavored Markdown specification, which are the sources this sheet follows.

Markdown cheat sheet

Basic syntax

Heading

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Alternate heading

Heading 1

Heading 2

Bold

Italic

Bold and italic

Blockquote

Ordered list

Unordered list

Code

Code block

Horizontal rule

Link

Autolink

Image

Line break

Escaping

Extended syntax

Table

Table alignment

Fenced code block

Footnote

Heading ID

My heading

Definition list

Strikethrough

Task list

Emoji

Highlight

Subscript

Superscript

Reference link

Plain URL

Hacks syntax

Underline

Keyboard key

Indent

Comment

Admonition

Image caption

Symbols

Line break in a table

Table of contents

Install

Usage

Specifications

How to use the cheat sheet

Find the element

Copy or insert

Learn the rest

Good to know

Questions people ask