Markdown Cheatsheet
A quick reference for Markdown syntax — headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, code, tables, blockquotes, and extended syntax.
Sections
Headings
| Markdown | Renders As |
|---|---|
# Heading 1 | <h1> — largest heading |
## Heading 2 | <h2> |
### Heading 3 | <h3> |
#### Heading 4 | <h4> |
##### Heading 5 | <h5> |
###### Heading 6 | <h6> — smallest heading |
Emphasis & Inline Formatting
| Markdown | Result |
|---|---|
*italic* or _italic_ | Italic text |
**bold** or __bold__ | Bold text |
***bold italic*** | Bold and italic |
~~strikethrough~~ | Strikethrough (GFM) |
`inline code` | Inline code span |
``contains `backtick` `` | Inline code with a literal backtick inside |
Lists
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
- item
- item | Unordered list (- or * or +) |
1. item
2. item | Ordered list |
1. item
- sub | Nested list — indent with 3 spaces (unordered) or align to text |
- [x] done
- [ ] todo | Task list (GFM) |
Links & Images
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
[text](url) | Inline link |
[text](url "title") | Link with hover title |
[text][ref] | Reference-style link — define [ref]: url later |
<https://example.com> | Auto-link — bare URL becomes clickable |
 | Inline image |
 | Image with title |
[](link-url) | Clickable image |
Code
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
`code` | Inline code |
```\ncode\n``` | Fenced code block (triple backticks) |
```js\ncode\n``` | Fenced block with language — enables syntax highlighting |
indented code | 4-space indent — code block (avoid in favour of fenced) |
Blockquotes & Rules
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
> quoted text | Blockquote |
> line1
> line2 | Multi-line blockquote |
> > nested | Nested blockquote |
--- or *** or ___ | Horizontal rule (thematic break) |
Tables (GFM)
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
| Col1 | Col2 |
|------|------|
| A | B | | Basic table — header row, separator row (---), data rows |
|:-----| | Left-align column |
|-----:| | Right-align column |
|:----:| | Center-align column |
Miscellaneous
| Markdown | Description |
|---|---|
\*escaped\* | Backslash escapes a special character — renders as *escaped* |
<!-- comment --> | HTML comments work in Markdown |
Two spaces + Enter | Hard line break (inline <br>) |
Blank line | New paragraph |
[^1] / [^1]: note | Footnote reference and definition (extended Markdown) |