Guides

Show Markdown symbols literally

Put a backslash before Markdown punctuation when you want the symbol to appear instead of triggering formatting.

Keep the literal character

Escape only the punctuation that would change the meaning in that position. Inside a code span, ordinary Markdown formatting already stays literal.

\*This stays literal.\*

\# This is not a heading.

Markdown escaping does not make arbitrary HTML safe. Put HTML examples inside a code fence when you want readers to see the markup.

Reviewed October 2, 2026. Maintained by Humenhuk.