What's the difference between CommonMark and GFM?

CommonMark is the official Markdown spec — covers basic syntax (headings, lists, emphasis, links, code). GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extends CommonMark with: tables, task lists (- [x] done), strikethrough (~~text~~), autolinks, and fenced code blocks with language hints. Most modern Markdown processors support GFM by default.

Does Markdown allow HTML?

Yes — most parsers pass HTML through unchanged. You can write Ctrl+C , , , directly in Markdown. Some platforms (GitHub, GitLab, Reddit) sanitize HTML for security, stripping , event handlers, and other dangerous tags. When in doubt, prefer pure Markdown.

How do I escape Markdown characters?

Use a backslash before any of: \\ \` * _ {} [] () # + - . ! |. So \* renders as a literal asterisk instead of starting italics. Inside code spans (`like this`) escaping isn't needed — content is rendered verbatim.

Why aren't my line breaks rendering?

Markdown collapses single newlines into spaces. To force a line break: end the line with two trailing spaces, or use . To start a new paragraph: leave a blank line between blocks. Some processors (GFM) auto-break on single newlines inside lists or quotes — consult your platform's docs.

Where is Markdown used in 2026?

Everywhere: GitHub README and issues, Reddit posts, Discord/Slack messages (limited subset), Notion, Obsidian, Roam, Bear, static site generators (Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, Astro), documentation tools (Docusaurus, MkDocs, GitBook), and AI chat interfaces. It's effectively the lingua franca of structured plain text.

Markdown चीट शीट

पूर्ण markdown संदर्भ: headings, emphasis, lists, links, code blocks, tables और GFM extensions जैसे task lists और strikethrough।

Headings

Markdown	Result
# H1	Largest heading
## H2	Second-level
### H3	Third-level
#### H4 / ##### H5 / ###### H6	Smaller

Emphasis

Markdown	Result
italic or _italic_	italic
bold or __bold__	bold
*bold italic*	*bold italic*
~~strike~~ (GFM)	~~strike~~
`code`	`code`

Lists

Markdown	Notes
- Item - Item - Nested	Unordered (or use * or +)
1. First 2. Second 3. Third	Ordered (numbers don't need to match output)
- [ ] Todo - [x] Done	Task list (GFM)

Links and images

Markdown	Notes
[label](https://example.com)	Inline link
[label](https://example.com "Title")	Link with hover title
![alt text](image.png)	Inline image
<https://example.com>	Auto-link (URL becomes clickable)
[label][ref] [ref]: https://example.com	Reference-style link

Code blocks

Markdown	Notes
``` code block ```	Fenced code block
```js const x = 1; ```	With syntax highlighting (GFM)
indent 4 spaces	Indented code block (older style)

Tables (GFM)

| Col 1   | Col 2   | Col 3   |
| ------- | :-----: | ------: |
| left    | center  | right   |
| default | aligned | aligned |

Colons in the divider row set alignment: :--- left, :---: center, ---: right.

Blockquotes & rules

Markdown	Notes
> Single quote > spans lines. >> Nested.	Blockquote
---	Horizontal rule (also *** or ___)

Escaping & line breaks

Markdown	Notes
\* literal asterisk	Backslash escapes
Line one Line two	Two trailing spaces = line break
Para 1 Para 2	Blank line = new paragraph

Try writing markdown live in our Markdown Editor with side-by-side preview.

Why Markdown won the plain-text war

Plain text is durable, diffable, version-controllable, AI-readable. Markdown adds enough structure to be useful (headings, lists, code blocks, links) without the complexity of HTML or LaTeX. It's what every modern documentation tool, README, blog, and AI chat uses.

Where Markdown is rendered

Most platforms run a CommonMark + GFM processor. GitHub uses goldmark. Discord uses a subset (no headings, only inline). Reddit uses CommonMark with custom extensions. AI chat interfaces (ChatGPT, Claude) use a variant that supports tables and code highlighting. Always check the platform docs for the supported flavor.

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले प्रश्न

What's the difference between CommonMark and GFM?: CommonMark is the official Markdown spec — covers basic syntax (headings, lists, emphasis, links, code). GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extends CommonMark with: tables, task lists (- [x] done), strikethrough (~~text~~), autolinks, and fenced code blocks with language hints. Most modern Markdown processors support GFM by default.
Does Markdown allow HTML?: Yes — most parsers pass HTML through unchanged. You can write <kbd>Ctrl+C</kbd>, <details>, <iframe>, <video> directly in Markdown. Some platforms (GitHub, GitLab, Reddit) sanitize HTML for security, stripping <script>, event handlers, and other dangerous tags. When in doubt, prefer pure Markdown.
How do I escape Markdown characters?: Use a backslash before any of: \\ \` * _ {} [] () # + - . ! |. So \* renders as a literal asterisk instead of starting italics. Inside code spans (`like this`) escaping isn't needed — content is rendered verbatim.
Why aren't my line breaks rendering?: Markdown collapses single newlines into spaces. To force a line break: end the line with two trailing spaces, or use <br>. To start a new paragraph: leave a blank line between blocks. Some processors (GFM) auto-break on single newlines inside lists or quotes — consult your platform's docs.
Where is Markdown used in 2026?: Everywhere: GitHub README and issues, Reddit posts, Discord/Slack messages (limited subset), Notion, Obsidian, Roam, Bear, static site generators (Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, Astro), documentation tools (Docusaurus, MkDocs, GitBook), and AI chat interfaces. It's effectively the lingua franca of structured plain text.