These are the elements outlined in John Gruber’s original design document. All Markdown applications support these elements.
| Element | Markdown Syntax |
|---|---|
| Heading | # H1 ## H2 ### H3 |
| Bold | **bold text** |
| Italic | *italicized text* |
| Blockquote | > blockquote |
| Ordered List | 1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item |
| Unordered List | - First item - Second item - Third item |
| Code | `code` |
| Horizontal Rule | --- |
| Link | [title](https://www.example.com) |
| Image |  |
These elements extend the basic syntax by adding additional features. Not all Markdown applications support these elements.
| Element | Markdown Syntax |
|---|---|
| Table | | Syntax | Description | | ----------- | ----------- | | Header | Title | | Paragraph | Text | |
| Fenced Code Block | ``` { "firstName": "John", "lastName": "Smith", "age": 25 } ``` |
| Footnote | Here's a sentence with a footnote. [^1] [^1]: This is the footnote. |
| Heading ID | ### My Great Heading {#custom-id} |
| Definition List | term : definition |
| Strikethrough | ~~The world is flat.~~ |
| Task List | - [x] Write the press release - [ ] Update the website - [ ] Contact the media |
| Emoji | That is so funny! :joy: |
| Highlight | I need to highlight these ==very important words==. |
| Subscript | H~2~O |
| Superscript | X^2^ |