Markdown italics
One asterisk either side gives italic text. A single underscore does the same, with one exception worth knowing about inside words.
*italic text*
_also italic_italic text
also italic
**bold with *italic* inside**bold with italic inside
What usually goes wrong
_snake_case_will not italicise the middle: underscores inside words are ignored so identifiers stay intact. Use asterisks if you really mean emphasis there.- A lone asterisk in a sentence, as in
2 * 3, can start an emphasis run that swallows text until the next asterisk. Escape it with\*or wrap the expression in backticks. - Italics in a blockquote or a list item work normally, but only if the markers stay on one line.
Where it behaves differently
| Platform | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Slack | Italic is a single underscore, _italic_. A single asterisk is bold. |
| Discord | Both * and _ work as italic. |