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Markdown Reference Guide

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Basic Syntax

John Gruber’s original design document describes the following 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 ![alt text](image.jpg)

Extended Syntax

These elements extend the basic syntax by adding additional features.

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}
Strikethrough ~~The world is flat.~~
Task List - [x] Write the press release
- [ ] Update the website
- [ ] Contact the media

Source: Matt Cone‘s Markdown Cheat Sheet.