Markdown by Example: Emphasis
Emphasis allows you to highlight text. This sample shows how to make text bold, italic, or strikethrough.
Code
Italic text can be written with *asterisks* or _underscores_.
Bold text can be written with **double asterisks** or __double underscores__.
Combined emphasis with **asterisks and _underscores_**.
Strikethrough uses two tildes: ~~Scratch this.~~
**Note:** You can escape characters with a backslash if you want to show literal asterisks: \*not italic\*.Explanation
Markdown provides simple syntax for emphasizing text. Wrapping text in single asterisks *text* or underscores _text_ makes it italic (<em>). Wrapping it in double asterisks **text** or double underscores __text__ makes it bold (<strong>).
You can combine these styles by nesting them. For example, **_bold and italic_** works as expected. However, you must be careful with the order of closing tags. It is generally recommended to use asterisks for one level and underscores for the other to improve readability in the source code.
Strikethrough is not part of the original Markdown specification but is widely supported (e.g., in GFM). It uses double tildes ~~text~~. This is useful for marking tasks as completed or indicating removed content in a revision history.
Code Breakdown
*asterisks* renders as asterisks.**double asterisks** renders as double asterisks.