Markdown Cheatsheet - Markdown Syntax Reference

Essential Markdown syntax for documentation writing. Organized by functionality from headings to tables. Reference directly when writing READMEs and docs.

Reference·31 commands·Last updated 2026-07-21
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Heading 5

# H1
Level 1 heading, typically for article title
## H2
Level 2 heading
### H3
Level 3 heading, up to ###### H6
Title\n===
Setext-style H1 (underline =)
Title\n---
Setext-style H2 (underline -)

Text Style 7

**bold**
Bold text
*italic*
Italic text
***bold italic***
Bold italic text
~~strikethrough~~
Strikethrough (GFM extension)
`inline code`
Inline code
> quote
Blockquote
> > nested quote
Nested blockquote

List 5

- Unordered item
Unordered list, also * or +
1. Ordered item
Ordered list, numbers auto-increment
- [ ] Todo
Unchecked task list (GFM)
- [x] Done
Checked task list (GFM)
- Indented sub-item
Indent 2 spaces for sub-list

Code Block 4

```python
Fenced code block with language highlighting
```
Code block closing marker
4-space indent code
Indented code block (not recommended, no language)
```{bash eval=true}
Executable code block (Org-mode / R Markdown)

Table & HR 5

---
Horizontal rule (three or more dashes)
| Col1 | Col2 |\n| --- | --- |\n| a | b |
Table, second row defines alignment
| :--- |
Left-aligned column
| :---: |
Center-aligned column
| ---: |
Right-aligned column

Tips

  • Use <br> for line breaks inside tables — Markdown tables don't support native line breaks.
  • When backticks conflict inside code blocks, use more backticks for fencing (e.g., ~~~~ around content containing ```).
  • GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown) supports task lists, strikethrough, auto-links, and tables — more features than standard Markdown.

Official References

Commands are compiled from the official docs below. Click to verify the latest usage.

Maintained by LaoHand

Publicly updated on Jul 21, 2026, continuously proofread against official docs.

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