Markdown Italic Generator
Type your text, pick asterisks or underscores, and copy italic Markdown that renders the same everywhere. Everything runs locally in your browser.
How do you make text italic in Markdown?
Wrap the text in a single asterisk on each side: `*italic text*`. A single underscore, `_italic text_`, renders identically. Both compile to an <em> element, so screen readers announce the emphasis. Asterisks are the safer default because underscores are ignored inside words like snake_case_names. Never leave a space between the marker and the text.
*This text is italic*
_This text is also italic_Both lines render identically as italic text, and both become <em> elements in the generated HTML.
Try the Markdown Italic Generator
Settings
Output
Markdown italic syntax explained
Markdown has two single-character delimiters for italics. They compile to the same HTML, but they part ways in one place that trips people up — emphasis inside a word.
Single asterisks (recommended)
The most portable way to write italics. Supported by CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown, Discord, Reddit, Obsidian, Notion and every major static site generator.
The deadline is *not* negotiable.Renders as: The deadline is not negotiable — with “not” in italics.
Single underscores
Functionally identical for whole words. Many writers prefer it because a lone underscore is easier to spot in raw text than a lone asterisk sitting next to a bullet or a list marker.
I finally finished _The Great Gatsby_ last night.Renders as: I finally finished The Great Gatsby last night — with the title in italics.
Italic inside a word
This is the one real difference between the two markers. CommonMark only allows intra-word emphasis with asterisks, because underscores appear inside identifiers such as snake_case_names and file_name_v2.
re*structure*d
re_structure_dThe first line italicises “structure”. The second renders literally as re_structure_d, underscores and all.
Bold and italic together
Three markers apply strong and emphatic formatting at once. Mixing the two delimiters is often clearer in raw form, because you can see which marker closes which.
***bold and italic***
**bold with _italic_ inside**
*italic with **bold** inside*The first line produces <strong><em>bold and italic</em></strong>. The other two nest one emphasis inside the other.
Escaping literal asterisks and underscores
Prefix the character with a backslash when you want to show it instead of triggering emphasis. Inline code spans disable formatting too, which is usually the better choice for filenames and variables.
\*not italic\*
`already_snake_case`The first line renders literally as *not italic*. The second shows already_snake_case as inline code with no emphasis applied.
Where italics silently fail
Emphasis markers must hug the text. A space after the opening marker, an unclosed marker, or text inside a fenced code block all leave the characters visible instead of formatting them.
* not italic *
*unclosed italic
*correct italic*Only the third line becomes italic. The first renders with visible asterisks — and in a list context a leading “* ” starts a bullet instead.
Where Markdown italics work
Italics are supported almost everywhere, but chat apps use their own dialects and the intra-word rule differs between parsers. Check the target platform before you publish.
| Platform | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub / GitLab | Full | Both *text* and _text_ work in READMEs, issues, PRs, comments and wikis. |
| Discord | Full | Both markers italicise. ***text*** gives bold italic; __text__ is underline, not bold. |
| Slack | Partial | Slack's composer uses _underscores_ for italic. Asterisks mean bold there, not italic. |
| Obsidian | Full | Both markers, plus intra-word italics with asterisks. |
| Notion | Full | Typing *text* or _text_ auto-converts to italic as you type. |
| Full | Both markers supported in the Markdown editor and in old.reddit. | |
| VS Code preview | Full | Follows CommonMark, so intra-word italics need asterisks. |
How to italicise text in Markdown
Enter your text
Type or paste the words you want to emphasise into the input box above.
Choose a marker
Pick asterisks for maximum compatibility, or underscores if your text already contains asterisks or you are writing for Slack.
Copy the Markdown
Use the copy button to grab the generated syntax, or switch to the HTML tab if you need an <em> tag instead.
Check the preview
Open the preview tab to confirm the emphasis lands on exactly the words you intended before you publish.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do italics in Markdown?
Put a single asterisk or a single underscore on each side of the text: *italic* or _italic_. Both render as an <em> element. Do not leave spaces between the marker and the text — *this works* but * this does not *.
Is there a difference between asterisks and underscores for italics?
For whole words there is no difference; both produce <em>. The difference is intra-word emphasis: re*structure*d italicises part of the word, while re_structure_d renders literally, because underscores are reserved so identifiers like snake_case_name are not broken. Slack is the other exception, where underscores mean italic and asterisks mean bold.
How do I make text bold and italic at the same time in Markdown?
Use three markers on each side: ***bold and italic*** or ___bold and italic___. Mixed forms such as **_text_** and *__text__* work too and are easier to read in raw Markdown because you can tell which marker closes which.
How do I create italic text in GitHub Markdown?
GitHub Flavored Markdown accepts both *text* and _text_ in READMEs, issues, pull requests, comments, releases and wikis. GitHub follows CommonMark, so italics inside a word require asterisks.
How do I italicise text in Discord?
Discord supports both *text* and _text_ for italics, and ***text*** for bold italic. Note that Discord differs from standard Markdown elsewhere: __text__ renders as underline rather than bold.
Why are my Markdown italics not working?
The usual causes are a space after the opening marker, a marker that is never closed, text sitting inside a code block or inline code span where formatting is deliberately ignored, or an underscore used inside a word, which most parsers refuse to treat as emphasis.
Can I italicise only part of a word in Markdown?
Yes, but only with asterisks. Writing re*structure*d italicises the middle of the word, while re_structure_d prints the underscores literally. This rule exists so that variable names and file names containing underscores survive unchanged.
How do I show a literal asterisk or underscore without making text italic?
Escape it with a backslash: \*text\* renders as *text*. Wrapping the content in backticks also works and is usually better for code, since inline code spans disable all Markdown formatting.
Does Markdown italic produce <em> or <i>?
Standard Markdown parsers output <em>, which carries semantic emphasis and is announced by screen readers. The <i> tag is presentational only. If you specifically need <i>, write the HTML tag directly, since most Markdown renderers allow inline HTML.
How do I write italics in Slack and Notion?
Slack's message composer uses _underscores_ for italic and single *asterisks* for bold, which is the reverse of standard Markdown. Notion follows the standard: typing *text* or _text_ converts to italic as you type.