Markdown Cheat Sheet
Quick reference for every common Markdown syntax.
Overview
A one-page reference for every common Markdown construct: headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, code blocks, tables, blockquotes, horizontal rules, and the most widely-supported GitHub-flavored extensions like task lists and strikethrough. Each row shows the syntax alongside the rendered result.
New writers learning Markdown for blog posts, README files, or static-site authoring use it as a learning aid. Experienced users keep it open when they need a less-common construct — footnotes, definition lists, or HTML escapes — that they've half-forgotten the syntax for.
How it works
Markdown was created by John Gruber in 2004 as a plain-text format that converts cleanly to HTML. The "core" syntax covers the basics; CommonMark standardised edge cases in 2014; GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) added tables, fenced code blocks, task lists, autolinks, and strikethrough. This cheat sheet groups each construct, marks which flavor supports it, and shows both the literal syntax and the rendered preview.
Examples
# Heading 1 # → big heading
## Heading 2 # → smaller heading
**bold** *italic* ~~strike~~
- bullet item
1. numbered item
[link](https://example.com)
`inline code`
> blockquote
| col | col |
|-----|-----|
| cell| cell|
FAQ
Which flavor of Markdown should I learn first?
CommonMark is the conservative standard — anything it accepts works almost everywhere. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is the most widely-deployed extended dialect and is what most platforms target.
Do all Markdown renderers behave the same?
No. Tables, footnotes, math, and HTML pass-through vary by renderer. When portability matters, stick to CommonMark plus the GFM table syntax.
Can I mix HTML into Markdown?
Most renderers allow raw HTML in Markdown documents. Use it sparingly — it doesn't round-trip if anyone ever wants to convert the file to another format.