How to escape special markdown characters with a backslash to display them literally. Syntax, examples, and which characters need escaping.
The backslash (\) is markdown's escape character. Placing a backslash before a markdown special character causes it to be displayed literally instead of being interpreted as formatting syntax. This is essential when you need to show asterisks, hashes, underscores, or other special characters as plain text.
Show asterisks literally without triggering bold or italic formatting.
Prevent a hash at the start of a line from becoming a heading.
Display backticks without triggering code formatting.
| Platform | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub | Yes | — |
| GitLab | Yes | — |
| Discord | Yes | — |
| Slack | Yes | — |
| Notion | Yes | — |
| Obsidian | Yes | — |
*literal*
\*literal\*
Without escaping, asterisks will be interpreted as italic markers. Escape both the opening and closing asterisk.
\\
\\\\
To display a literal backslash, escape the backslash itself: \\ renders as \.
These characters have special meaning and may need escaping: \ ` * _ { } [ ] ( ) # + - . ! |
A # only needs escaping at the start of a line (where it would become a heading). Mid-sentence, # renders literally without escaping.
Everything you need to know.
Precede the asterisk with a backslash: \* renders as a literal *. You need to escape both opening and closing asterisks if they would otherwise form bold or italic.
Inline code is formatted by wrapping text in single backticks (`). It renders in a monospace font with a subtle background, making it ideal for variable names, commands, file paths, and short code snippets within a sentence.
Bold text in markdown is created by wrapping words with double asterisks (**) or double underscores (__). Bold draws attention to important words and phrases, making your content easier to scan.
Italic text in markdown is created by wrapping words with a single asterisk (*) or single underscore (_). Italics are used for emphasis, titles of works, technical terms, and foreign words.
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