Markdown Syntax Guide: From Basics to Advanced

Markdown is the writing format developers actually enjoy using. No clicking through formatting menus, no fighting with WYSIWYG editors — just plain text with a few symbols that converts to clean HTML. README files, documentation, blog posts, chat messages, and even this article are written in Markdown.

Preview your Markdown in real-time with our Markdown Previewer — write on one side, see the formatted output on the other.

Basic Syntax

Headings

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

Use headings hierarchically. Do not skip levels (jumping from H1 to H3) — it hurts both readability and accessibility.

Emphasis

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic***
~~strikethrough~~

Links and Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title")
![Alt text](image.png)

Lists

- Unordered item
- Another item
  - Nested item

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Blockquotes

> This is a blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.

Code

Inline Code

Use backticks for inline code: `const x = 42`

Code Blocks

Triple backticks with an optional language identifier:

```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
```

Supported languages include javascript, python, json, yaml, html, css, bash, and many more.

Tables

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

Alignment:

| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L    |   C    |     R |

Advanced Syntax

Task Lists

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Pending task
- [ ] Another task

Footnotes

Here is a statement[^1].

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

Definition Lists

Term
: Definition of the term

Horizontal Rules

---
***
___

GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM)

GitHub extends standard Markdown with useful features:

Autolinked URLs — Bare URLs become clickable
Task lists — Checkboxes in issues and PRs
Tables — The pipe syntax shown above
Strikethrough — ~~deleted text~~
Syntax highlighting — Language-specific code coloring
Emoji — :smile: becomes a smiley face

Writing Tips

Keep paragraphs short — 3-5 sentences maximum
Use headings to create scannable structure
Prefer lists over long paragraphs for steps or features
Add code examples whenever discussing technical concepts
Preview regularly — our Markdown Previewer shows the output as you type

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Markdown and HTML?

Markdown is a simplified writing format that converts to HTML. It covers the most common formatting needs with much less syntax. You can embed raw HTML in Markdown when you need features Markdown does not support.

Which Markdown flavor should I use?

GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM) is the most widely supported. It adds tables, task lists, and strikethrough to standard Markdown. CommonMark is the standardized specification.

Can I use Markdown for documentation?

Absolutely. Markdown is the standard for README files, wikis, and documentation sites. Tools like MkDocs, Docusaurus, and GitBook all use Markdown.

Related Resources

Markdown vs Rich Text — why developers prefer plain text
Text Diff Checker — compare Markdown files
Markdown Previewer — preview Markdown in real-time
Text Diff Checker Tool — compare text and Markdown files