·6 min read
Markdown Syntax: Complete Cheat Sheet
Markdown is a lightweight markup language that converts plain text to formatted documents. It is used in GitHub READMEs, documentation, blogs, and messaging platforms.
Headings
# Heading 1 ## Heading 2 ### Heading 3 #### Heading 4
Emphasis
*italic* or _italic_ **bold** or __bold__ ***bold italic*** ~~strikethrough~~
Lists
Unordered: - Item 1 - Item 2 - Nested item Ordered: 1. First 2. Second 3. Third
Links and Images
[Link text](https://example.com) [Link with title](https://example.com "Title")  
Code
Inline code: `variable_name`
Code block:
```javascript
function hello() {
console.log("Hello!");
}
```Tables
| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 | | --- | --- | --- | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 | | Cell 4 | Cell 5 | Cell 6 |
Blockquotes
> This is a blockquote. > It can span multiple lines. > > > Nested blockquote.
Horizontal Rule
--- *** ___
Task Lists
- [x] Completed task - [ ] Pending task - [ ] Another task
Escaping
Use backslash to escape special characters: \*not italic\*
Where Markdown is Used
- GitHub READMEs and documentation
- Technical blogs and wikis
- Slack, Discord, and Teams messages
- Jupyter notebooks
- Static site generators (Hugo, Jekyll, Next.js)
Generate Markdown from DDL
Need to create Markdown documentation from your database schema? Use the DDL to Markdown converter to generate field dictionaries from CREATE TABLE statements.