Markdown Syntax Guide

Create headers using # symbols. The number of # symbols determines the heading level (1-6). Always include a space after the # symbols.

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

Headers are important for document structure and SEO. They also generate entries in MarkdownFTW's Table of Contents dropdown. Use them hierarchically — don't skip from H1 to H4.

Add emphasis with asterisks or underscores:

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic*** or ___bold italic___
~~strikethrough~~

Unordered Lists

Use -, *, or + followed by a space:

- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item
- Third item

Ordered Lists

Use numbers followed by a period and space. The actual numbers don't matter — markdown auto-numbers them:

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
   1. Nested ordered item
   2. Another nested item

Mixed Lists

You can nest ordered lists inside unordered lists and vice versa:

- Unordered item
  1. Ordered sub-item
  2. Another ordered sub-item
- Another unordered item

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Hover text")

<!-- Autolinks -->
<https://example.com>

<!-- Reference-style links -->
[Example][1]

[1]: https://example.com

Images use the same syntax as links but with an exclamation mark prefix:

![Alt text](https://example.com/image.png)
![Alt text](image.png "Optional title")

The alt text is important for accessibility — it describes the image for screen readers and displays when the image can't load.

Inline Code

Wrap text in backticks for inline code:

Use the `console.log()` function to debug.

Code Blocks

Use triple backticks with an optional language identifier for syntax highlighting:

```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
```

Popular languages for syntax highlighting include: javascript, typescript, python, rust, go, java, css, html, bash, json, yaml, sql, and many more.

Prefix lines with > for blockquotes:

> This is a blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.
>
> > Nested blockquotes work too.

Tables are a GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extension. Use pipes | and hyphens -:

| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---------|------|-----|
| Format exports | 2 | Unlimited |
| Platform exports | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Inline editing | No | Yes |
| Price | $0 | $4.99/mo |

Align columns with colons in the separator row:

| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L    |   C    |     R |

Create checkboxes with - [ ] and - [x]:

- [x] Write the markdown guide
- [x] Add syntax highlighting
- [ ] Publish to production
- [ ] Celebrate 🎉

Task lists are a GFM extension widely supported on GitHub, GitLab, and other platforms.

Create a horizontal divider with three or more hyphens, asterisks, or underscores:

---
***
___

Useful for separating sections in long documents. All three syntaxes produce identical output.

In markdown, a single newline doesn't create a line break — you need either a blank line (for a new paragraph) or two trailing spaces at the end of a line (for a line break within a paragraph):

First line with two trailing spaces  
Second line (same paragraph)

New paragraph here.

Some renderers also support using a backslash \ at the end of a line for a hard line break.

Add footnotes with bracket notation:

Here's a statement that needs a source[^1].

And another claim[^note].

[^1]: This is the footnote content.
[^note]: Footnotes can have any identifier.

Footnotes are rendered at the bottom of the document with back-links. They're supported in GFM and most extended markdown renderers. MarkdownFTW renders footnotes in the preview and preserves them in HTML and PDF exports.

MarkdownFTW supports mathematical notation using KaTeX syntax:

Inline Math

The quadratic formula is $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$

Display Math

$$
\sum_{i=1}^{n} i = \frac{n(n+1)}{2}
$$

Math rendering uses the KaTeX library, which supports most LaTeX math commands. Inline math uses single dollar signs $...$, and display (block) math uses double dollar signs $$...$$.

Create diagrams using Mermaid syntax inside a code block with the mermaid language identifier:

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Start] --> B{Is it working?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Great!]
    B -->|No| D[Debug]
    D --> B
```

Mermaid supports flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, Gantt charts, pie charts, and more. MarkdownFTW renders Mermaid diagrams in the live preview.

Use a backslash \ to display literal characters that would otherwise be interpreted as markdown:

\*Not italic\*
\# Not a header
\[Not a link\](url)
\`Not code\`

Characters you can escape: \\ \` * _ {} [] () # + - . ! |

Different platforms render markdown differently. Here's what to know: