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Markdown Basic Syntax Tutorial

Master the core syntax of Markdown, including headings, lists, quotes, links, and images.

Headings

Markdown supports six levels of headings, defined by adding # at the beginning of a line. The number of # symbols determines the heading level.

Code Example:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Paragraphs & Line Breaks

In Markdown, paragraphs are separated by one or more blank lines. To create a line break within a paragraph, end a line with two or more spaces and hit enter, or use the <br> tag.

Code Example:

This is the first line.  
This is the second line after a break.

This is a new paragraph.

Text Styles

You can change the style of your text using simple symbols for italics, bold, and strikethrough.

Code Example:

*Italic text* or _Italic text_
**Bold text** or __Bold text__
***Bold and italic text***
~~Strikethrough~~

Rendered Result: Italic text or Italic text Bold text or Bold text Bold and italic text Strikethrough

Horizontal Rules

You can create a horizontal rule by using three or more asterisks *, hyphens -, or underscores _ on a new line.

Code Example:

---
***
___

Rendered Result:

Lists

Unordered Lists

Use *, +, or - as list markers.

Code Example:

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Sub-item A
  - Sub-item B
    - Level 3 item

Ordered Lists

Use numbers followed by a period. The actual numbers used don’t matter, but using sequential numbers is recommended for readability.

Code Example:

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step
   1. Sub-step 1
   2. Sub-step 2

Blockquotes

Use > to define blockquotes. Blockquotes can be nested and can contain other Markdown elements.

Code Example:

> This is a blockquote.
>
> > This is a nested blockquote.
>
> Blockquotes can also contain lists:
> - Item 1
> - Item 2

Rendered Result:

This is a blockquote.

This is a nested blockquote.

Blockquotes can also contain lists:

  • Item 1
  • Item 2

The basic syntax for links is [Link Text](URL "Optional Title").

Code Example:

[Visit Tool](https://tools.ai225.com "AI225 Tools")
[Link with Title](https://example.com "Shown on hover")

Images

Image syntax is very similar to links, but starts with an exclamation mark !.

Code Example:

![Image description](https://tools.ai225.com/favicon.ico)
![Image with Title](https://tools.ai225.com/favicon.ico "Logo")

Rendered Result: Visit Tool Image description

Escaping Characters

If you want to display a character that has special meaning in Markdown (like *, #, [), you can escape it with a backslash \.

Code Example:

\*This is not italic\*
\# This is not a heading

Rendered Result: *This is not italic* # This is not a heading

Practice Now

Go to our Markdown Online Editor to try these syntaxes. The real-time preview feature helps you master basic Markdown usage faster.

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