Markdown Syntax Basics: Bold, Lists, Links and Line Breaks

If you have ever opened a README file or a note written in Markdown and seen stray asterisks, dashes and brackets, you have met the format's basic syntax. Knowing how to use Markdown format well means learning a short set of symbols and where each one has to sit. Many problems come from a missing space, a missing blank line or a symbol that was never closed, not from anything complicated.

This guide is a syntax reference for the single-symbol questions people search for often: how to make text bold, how to start a bullet, how to force a new line, how to write a hyperlink and how to add strikethrough. Each section gives the exact pattern, a short example and the mistake that usually breaks it. The examples do not depend on any particular word processor, so you can use them in any plain text editor.

You will also see how to check your work. Markdown is only useful when the output looks the way you intended, so the final section walks through a simple preview check.

How do you use Markdown format for basic text? The short answer

Type your text in a plain text file, wrap the words you want to emphasize in the matching symbols, and check the result in a preview before you share the file.

Your situation	What to do	Why
You want bold words	Wrap the words in double asterisks, like `key term`	The double asterisks mark strong emphasis in the rendered output
You want a bulleted list	Start each item with a hyphen and a space, like `- first item`	Each line with a leading hyphen becomes a separate list item
You want a new line inside a paragraph	Leave a blank line, or end the line with two spaces	A single line break is often ignored, so the text runs together
You want a clickable link	Write `label`, with your own label and address	The square brackets hold the visible text and the parentheses hold the address
You want struck-through text	Place two tildes on each side of the words, with no space	Tildes mark deleted text in many current Markdown renderers

What Markdown is and why the symbols work this way

Markdown is a way to mark up text with ordinary keyboard characters. The file stays readable as plain text, and a Markdown renderer turns the symbols into headings, bold text, lists and links when the file is displayed. The symbols are a convention, not a single official standard, so small differences exist between tools. The patterns in this article are the ones many renderers support.

The key idea is that Markdown reads symbols by their position. A pair of asterisks around a word means bold only when the asterisks touch the word and the closing pair is present. A hyphen starts a list only at the beginning of a line, followed by a space. When a symbol is in the wrong place, the renderer usually shows it as literal text, which is why a stray asterisk often appears on the page.

Bold, italics and strikethrough

Bold uses two asterisks or two underscores on each side of the words. Italics uses one asterisk or one underscore. Strikethrough uses two tildes on each side:

important renders as important
emphasis renders as emphasis
Two tildes on each side of a phrase render it as struck-through text in many current renderers

Keep the symbols attached to the words, with no space between the asterisks or tildes and the text. Writing important often fails in common renderers, because the spaces stop the symbols from acting as emphasis markers. Check strikethrough in the preview, since some older tools show the tildes as plain characters.

Bullet lists and numbered lists

A bullet list starts each item with a hyphen, an asterisk or a plus sign followed by one space. Numbered lists start each item with a number and a period:

- Upload the file
- Check the preview

For a numbered list, write 1., 2. and so on. Many renderers ignore the exact numbers and renumber the items, so you can start every line with 1. if you prefer. Leave a blank line before the list when it follows a paragraph, because some renderers will otherwise merge the list into that paragraph.

Links and line breaks

A hyperlink has two parts. The square brackets hold the words readers see, and the parentheses hold the address. Put no space between the closing bracket and the opening parenthesis. The pattern looks like this: square brackets around your label, then parentheses around the address you want to link to.

Line breaks are a frequent source of confusion. In many renderers, pressing Enter once inside a paragraph does not create a visible new line. You have three options:

Leave a blank line to start a new paragraph. This is the dependable choice.
End the line with two trailing spaces. The spaces are invisible in many editors, so they are easy to lose when the file is edited later.
End the line with a backslash in renderers that support it. This is less common, so test it first.

Common misconceptions

Markdown has no built-in underline. Some renderers accept an HTML underline tag for underlining, but that depends on the tool and is not part of basic syntax. If you need underline in a shared document, check whether the platform you are publishing to allows it before you rely on it.

Adding several spaces or blank lines does not add extra space between words in rendered output. Renderers collapse repeated spaces into one. If you need visible space, use a deliberate layout tool or a non-breaking space, and confirm it renders on the target platform.

A line of hyphens below a paragraph can create a horizontal rule, and a line of equals signs under text can make it a heading. A dash added by accident at the start of a line can therefore change the whole paragraph's layout. Read each line that starts with a symbol before you save.

📊 At a glance

Element	Syntax	Notes
Bold	Double asterisks around the text	Keep symbols attached to the words
Italics	One asterisk or underscore on each side	One pair of symbols
Strikethrough	Two tildes on each side	Supported by many current renderers
Bullet list	Hyphen followed by a space	One item per line
Numbered list	Number, period, space	Renderers often renumber items
Link	Square brackets, then parentheses	No space between the two parts
New paragraph	Blank line	The dependable way to break lines
Line break	Two trailing spaces	Invisible, so easy to lose

Putting it to use

You can practice these patterns in the UniDoc web editor at app.unidoc.top, which supports Markdown. Use the steps below to build a short file that covers every symbol in this guide.

Open a new Markdown document in the UniDoc web editor, or paste the text into a plain text file and save it with the .md extension.
Type a heading line, then a short paragraph. Wrap one key phrase in double asterisks and one phrase in double tildes.
Add a bulleted list with three items, each starting with a hyphen and a space.
Write one link with square brackets for the label and parentheses for the address. Use a real address you have checked.
Create two lines that should appear on separate lines. Test one with a blank line between them and one with two trailing spaces, then compare the two results in the preview.
Read the rendered output. Look for stray asterisks, tildes or brackets. If one appears, check that the symbol is attached to the words and that its pair is present.

If you need the same file on your computer, the OmniDoc desktop client is available at download.omnidoc.top. Whatever tool you use, compare the preview with the source before you send the file to anyone.

❓ FAQ

1. How do I format a Markdown table?

Write the header row with pipes between the column names, add a separator row of hyphens under it, and then write one row per line with the same number of cells. Each row must have the same number of columns as the header, or the table will not render. Keep the cells short, because long text inside a table can make the source hard to read.

2. How do I add extra space between words in Markdown?

Repeated spaces collapse into one in rendered output, so adding more spaces will not help. Use a non-breaking space character if your editor can insert one, or a layout element that your target platform supports. Check the result in the actual viewer, since spacing rules vary between renderers.

3. How do I underline text in Markdown?

Basic Markdown has no underline symbol. Some renderers accept HTML underline tags, but many do not, and the tags can appear as literal text. If underline matters for the final document, consider using a format that supports it, or use bold or italics instead.

📝 Summary

Learning how to use Markdown format comes down to a few symbols: double asterisks for bold, hyphens for bullets, square brackets with parentheses for links and blank lines for new paragraphs. Keep each symbol attached to the text it marks, and check the preview before you share the file.

Open OmniDoc to edit Markdown and export to Word