Markdown Syntax Cheat Sheet (with HTML Output)
Markdown is a simple way to format plain text that converts to HTML. Learn the core syntax for headings, bold, links, lists and code in one place.
Markdown is a lightweight syntax that turns plain text into formatted HTML using a few simple marks. For example, # Title becomes a heading and **bold** becomes bold text.
The core marks
- Headings:
# H1,## H2,### H3 - Emphasis:
*italic*,**bold** - Links:
[text](https://example.com) - Lists:
- item(bulleted) or1. item(numbered) - Inline code: single backticks; code blocks: triple backticks
- Blockquote:
> quoted text
Why it is everywhere
Markdown stays readable as plain text yet compiles to clean HTML, which is why READMEs, docs, chat apps and issue trackers all use it. You format quickly without touching raw tags.
Convert to HTML now
Paste Markdown into the Markdown to HTML converter to see the live HTML output. Working with entities in that HTML? See HTML entities explained.