What's the difference between Markdown and HTML?

Markdown is a simplified syntax that converts to HTML. It's faster to write and easier to read in source form. Most Markdown features have HTML equivalents, but Markdown covers the most common formatting needs with minimal syntax.

Which Markdown flavor should I use?

CommonMark is the standard. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds task lists, tables, and strikethrough. For most use cases, GFM is the best choice — it's what GitHub, GitLab, and most documentation platforms use.

Can I use Markdown for documentation?

Absolutely — Markdown is the standard for READMEs, wikis, API docs, and static site generators (Jekyll, Hugo, Docusaurus, Next.js). It's version-control friendly since it's plain text.

Markdown Cheat Sheet 2026 — Complete Syntax Reference

Basic Syntax

**Headings:** Use # for h1, ## for h2, through ###### for h6. **Bold:** Wrap text in **double asterisks**. **Italic:** Use *single asterisks*. **Links:** text. **Images:** !alt. **Line breaks:** End a line with two spaces or use a blank line for a new paragraph. Try these in the Live Markdown Editor to see instant results.

Lists and Checkboxes

**Unordered lists:** Start lines with -, *, or +. **Ordered lists:** Start with 1., 2., etc. (Markdown auto-numbers). **Nested lists:** Indent with 2-4 spaces. **Task lists:** Start with - [ ] for unchecked or - [x] for checked items. Task lists are supported by GitHub, GitLab, and most modern Markdown renderers.

Code and Syntax Highlighting

**Inline code:** Wrap with \`backticks\`. **Code blocks:** Use triple backticks with an optional language identifier (\`\`\`javascript). Most renderers support syntax highlighting for 100+ languages. **Indented code blocks:** Indent with 4 spaces (older style, less recommended). For creating code documentation, the Markdown Editor renders syntax highlighting in real-time.

Tables

Markdown tables use pipes | and dashes -. Headers go in the first row, alignment is set with colons (:--- left, :---: center, ---: right). Building tables by hand is tedious — use the Table Generator to visually create tables and copy the Markdown syntax.

Advanced Syntax

**Footnotes:** Text[^1] with [^1]: Footnote content. **Abbreviations:** *[HTML]: Hyper Text Markup Language. **Definition lists:** Term followed by : definition. **Math:** $inline$ or $$block$$ LaTeX (supported by GitHub, GitLab). **Badges:** Use the Badge Maker to create shields.io-style badges for your README.

Converting Between Formats

Need to convert existing content? The Markdown to HTML converter transforms your Markdown into clean HTML. Going the other way, HTML to Markdown converts web pages and HTML content into Markdown format — perfect for migrating blog content to a static site generator.