Markdown Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for all Markdown syntax: headings, lists, links, images, code, tables, and more.

By CyberScryb 📅 Updated February 12, 2026 ⏱ 8 min read

⚡ Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

Markdown quick reference: **bold**, *italic*, # Heading, - list item, [link](url), ![image](url), `inline code`, ``` code block ```. Use GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) for tables, task lists, and strikethrough. It's the standard used by GitHub, Reddit, and Stack Overflow.

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Text Formatting

**bold** for bold, *italic* for italic, ~~strikethrough~~ for ~~strikethrough~~. Combine them: ***bold italic***.

Headings

Use # for h1, ## for h2, ### for h3, and so on up to ######. Always include a space after the hash marks.

Lists

Unordered lists use -, *, or +. Ordered lists use numbers: 1., 2.. Indent 2-4 spaces for nested lists.

Links and Images

Links: [link text](url). Images: ![alt text](image-url). Add titles with [text](url "title").

Code

Inline code: `code`. Code blocks: wrap with ``` on separate lines. Add a language after the opening backticks for syntax highlighting.

Tables

Use pipes | to separate columns and hyphens --- for the header row separator. Alignment with :--- (left), :---: (center), ---: (right).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Markdown flavor should I use?

CommonMark is the standard. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds tables, task lists, and strikethrough — and is the most widely supported.

Can I use HTML inside Markdown?

Yes. Most Markdown processors pass through raw HTML. This is useful for elements not supported by Markdown syntax.

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