Markdown Syntax Guide for Beginners

Published July 1, 2026 · 8 min read

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that lets you format plain text using simple characters like #, *, and -. It was designed to be easy to read and write — both as raw source and as rendered HTML. Today it powers GitHub READMEs, technical documentation, blog posts, and AI prompt files.

This guide covers every essential syntax element. Open our free online editor alongside this page and try each example as you read.

Headings

Use one to six hash symbols followed by a space. More hashes = smaller heading.

# H1 — Page title
## H2 — Section
### H3 — Subsection
#### H4
##### H5
###### H6

Emphasis

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold and italic***
~~strikethrough~~

Lists

Unordered

- Item one
- Item two
  - Nested item

Ordered

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

Task lists

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Pending task

Links and Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Alt text](https://example.com/image.png)

For reference-style links, define the URL at the bottom of your document:

See the [MDWorkLab editor][editor].

[editor]: /editor/

Blockquotes

> This is a quote.
> It can span multiple lines.

Code

Inline code uses backticks: `const x = 1`

Fenced code blocks use triple backticks with an optional language tag:

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

Tables

| Column A | Column B |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |
| Cell 3   | Cell 4   |

In MDWorkLab, use the toolbar table picker for a visual 8×8 grid insertion.

Horizontal Rule

---
or
***
or
___

Escaping Characters

Use a backslash to display literal Markdown characters: \*not italic\*

Next Steps

• Learn Mermaid diagrams →
• Markdown for developers →
• MDWorkLab editor tour →