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description= Every Markdown syntax element in one table: what you type, whether it works everywhere, and a full guide for each. Plus the best order to learn them in.;
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Text of the page (random words):
markdown syntax the complete element list mdeditor tw skip to content md editor tw markdown editor tools markdown to html table generator markdown to pdf markdown viewer html to markdown table to markdown toc generator markdown guide cheat sheet learn markdown syntax what is markdown github flavored markdown markdown tables markdown vs html markdown lists markdown links markdown images markdown headings bold italic code blocks blockquotes footnotes markdown glossary faq platforms all platforms markdown in notion markdown in obsidian markdown in discord markdown in reddit open editor markdown editor tools markdown to html table generator markdown to pdf markdown viewer html to markdown table to markdown toc generator markdown guide cheat sheet learn markdown syntax what is markdown github flavored markdown markdown tables markdown vs html markdown lists markdown links markdown images markdown headings bold italic code blocks blockquotes footnotes markdown glossary faq platforms all platforms markdown in notion markdown in obsidian markdown in discord markdown in reddit home markdown syntax every element in one place markdown syntax every element in one place markdown is a small language there are about fifteen things to learn and two thirds of them work in every renderer ever written this page lists all of them marks the ones that are safe everywhere and points to the full guide for each try any of it in the live editor as you read last updated 2026 07 24 on this page what markdown syntax actually means core syntax the layer that never breaks extended syntax added later supported unevenly why the real question is where will this render every element what you type and where it works the full element table two rows that deserve a footnote the order worth learning it in start with structure then decoration then the elements that carry content finish with the containers which elements break most often the five usual suspects check the dialect before you check your typing how to actually make it stick type it do not read it two constructs worth automating what markdown syntax actually means markdown syntax is a set of punctuation conventions for marking up plain text a at the start of a line means heading asterisks around a word mean emphasis a hyphen and a space mean list item the document stays readable as text and a renderer turns those conventions into html in short the language splits into core syntax which works everywhere and extended syntax which does not ten core elements cover the overwhelming majority of real documents this hub names every element once the eight element guides hold the detail and the edge cases when something fails to render the destination is usually at fault not your typing core syntax the layer that never breaks core syntax is what john gruber shipped in 2004 and what commonmark later specified precisely it covers headings paragraphs emphasis lists links images inline code blockquotes and horizontal rules if a tool supports markdown at all it supports these they behave the same in a github issue a reddit comment a static site generator and a chat box extended syntax added later supported unevenly extended syntax is everything added afterwards by individual implementations that means tables task lists strikethrough footnotes fenced code blocks with language labels and per tool extras such as github s alert boxes widely supported is not the same as universally supported a table that is perfect in a readme can arrive as a wall of pipe characters in a chat message and that is not a bug in your syntax why the real question is where will this render so the question is never only how to write an element it is also whether the thing rendering it understands that element keep both halves in view and markdown stops being surprising the table below answers them at the same time one row per element every element what you type and where it works this is the whole language on one screen read it as a map of the cluster each row names an element says whether it is safe everywhere and sends you to the guide that covers it in depth the full element table element what you type core or extended full guide heading h1 through h6 core markdown headings bold bold core bold italic italic italic core bold italic strikethrough struck extended bold italic bulleted list item core markdown lists numbered list 1 item core markdown lists task list todo extended markdown lists link text https example com core markdown links image alt text image png core markdown images inline code code core code blocks code block indented four leading spaces core code blocks code block fenced three backticks optional language extended near universal code blocks blockquote quoted line core blockquotes table a b plus a row extended markdown tables footnote text 1 plus 1 note extended footnotes horizontal rule on its own line core cheat sheet two rows that deserve a footnote fenced code blocks began as an extension but commonmark absorbed them support is now effectively total so treat them as safe the four space indented code block is core which is why an over indented list item sometimes turns into a grey box you did not ask for tip scan the third column before the fourth knowing an element is extended tells you in advance which platforms will let you down which saves more time than knowing its syntax by heart if you want the same information with no prose around it the markdown cheat sheet is built for printing and for keeping open in a second tab the order worth learning it in alphabetical order is useless for learning the sequence below works because each step reuses the mental model built by the one before it and because it front loads the elements you use in every single document start with structure then decoration begin with headings because structure comes before decoration and because they introduce the line start marker that half the language depends on follow it with bold and italic the smallest possible win that page also teaches the other half of the language paired delimiters that wrap text instead of starting a line then the elements that carry content take lists third since indentation starts to matter there and nested lists are where most people s markdown first breaks links come fourth and need their own attention because the bracket then parenthesis pattern is unlike anything above it read images immediately afterwards the syntax is identical with an exclamation mark in front so it is one element for free finish with the containers sixth is code blocks which are more than a way to show code anything inside a fence is left alone so this is how you write about markdown symbols without triggering them blockquotes come seventh as the first construct that contains other blocks and they only make sense once you know what those blocks are leave footnotes until last they are an extension they have two separate halves and they only pay off in long documents those eight guides cover every element in the table above except tables themselves which have their own dedicated guide if you would rather read the language as continuous prose the complete markdown guide is the same material in one piece which elements break most often almost every my markdown is broken moment traces back to one of five elements none of them are hard to write they are simply the ones where renderers disagree the five usual suspects tables are the biggest offender by a distance unsupported in discord slack and teams and unreliable on import into notion footnotes come from php markdown extra rather than the core language github only shipped them in 2021 and plain commonmark parsers still print the raw brackets task lists render as checkboxes on github gitlab and obsidian and as literal square brackets nearly everywhere else strikethrough works in most modern tools but the double tilde is not core syntax and older parsers ignore it nested lists break on indentation rather than on support two three and four spaces mean different things to different parsers and mixing tabs with spaces breaks all of them check the dialect before you check your typing what actually helps is knowing which dialect your target speaks most modern tools have converged on github flavored markdown which is commonmark plus tables task lists strikethrough and autolinks that is also what this site s editor renders our answer on which markdown flavor to write for explains how to tell which one you are facing and the markdown platforms hub has a support matrix per app so when something does not render ask whether the element is extended then ask what the destination supports it is rarely a typo how to actually make it stick markdown is learned with your fingers not your eyes reading a syntax list produces recognition typing produces recall and recall is what you need at eleven at night type it do not read it keep the markdown editor open in one tab and this page in another type an element watch the live preview confirm it then move to the next the preview tells you straight away when a symbol did not do what you expected which is the fastest correction loop there is two constructs worth automating pipe tables they are fiddly to align by hand so build them in the table generator and paste the result tables of contents the anchors have to match your headings exactly which the table of contents generator handles in one step watch out do not learn syntax from a rendered page copying what a heading looks like teaches you nothing about what was typed always compare the source and the preview side by side the rest of the free markdown tools handle conversion in both directions once the syntax is in your hands the remaining variable is where you publish which is what markdown platforms is for if you want the backstory instead what markdown is explains how such a small language ended up everywhere support data verified 2026 07 24 frequently asked questions how many markdown elements are there about fifteen ten are core syntax that works in every renderer headings bold italic bulleted lists numbered lists links images inline code blockquotes and horizontal rules the rest are extensions tables task lists strikethrough footnotes and fenced code blocks what is the difference between core and extended markdown syntax core syntax is original 2004 markdown as later specified by commonmark and it is safe everywhere extended syntax was added afterwards by individual implementations so support varies by tool see github flavored markdown for the most widely adopted extended set do i need to learn all of the markdown syntax no headings bold lists links and code cover the overwhelming majority of real documents learn tables and footnotes when you first need them the order above is sequenced so you can stop at any point and still have something useful why does my table or footnote not render almost certainly because the destination does not support it not because you typed it wrong both are extended syntax so discord slack teams and plain commonmark parsers ignore them check the target platform first then look for a missing separator row or a blank line before the block is markdown syntax the same in every app the core is everything above it depends on the parser the app chose and chat apps support only a small subset the platforms hub has a per app matrix and which markdown flavor explains how to identify yours keep learning markdown cheat sheet the same element list stripped of prose built for bookmarking and printing the complete markdown guide the whole language as continuous prose with examples and the mistakes to avoid markdown platforms which apps support which elements and why the same file renders differently try the editor try the editor md editor tw a free private in browser markdown editor with live preview plus the deepest markdown reference library on the web tools markdown to html table generator markdown to pdf markdown viewer html to markdown table to markdown toc generator learn what is markdown markdown guide cheat sheet github flavored markdown markdown vs html reference markdown syntax markdown tables markdown lists markdown links markdown images markdown headings bold italic code blocks blockquotes footnotes markdown glossary readme template editors compared platforms all platforms markdown in notion markdown in obsidian markdown in discord markdown in reddit company blog faq about contact search privacy policy terms of service 2026 mdeditor tw all rights reserved made in taiwan
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