How to Italicize Text in Markdown

The quick answer: Wrap text with single asterisks — italic text — to italicize it.

Basic Syntax

Two syntaxes work for italic:

• italic text — single asterisk (recommended)
• _italic text_ — single underscore

Single asterisks are the safer choice. Underscores can fail mid-word on some platforms.

Combining Italic with Bold

Use text for bold, text for italic, and text for both at once. You can also nest them: bold with italic inside.

Platform Notes

Italic works everywhere — GitHub, Notion, Discord, Obsidian, Slack. The exception: Slack uses _underscore_ for italic rather than asterisks, following its own mrkdwn format.

When to Use Italic

Italic is best for:

• Book titles, film names, and publication names
• Technical terms being introduced for the first time
• Foreign words or phrases
• Soft emphasis (less urgent than bold)

Common Mistake

Single asterisks inside a word: unnaturally may not render as italic on all parsers. If you need italic mid-word, test on your target platform first.

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See the Markdown Italic reference for complete syntax details and platform support.