Text Formatting Guide: Bold, Italic, Strikethrough & More

I format text constantly — Discord, Slack, Reddit, you name it. And I've noticed most people have no idea that *asterisks make italics* or **double asterisks make bold**. Once you learn these tricks, you'll use them everywhere.

Here's my complete reference for text formatting across every platform I use. Bookmark this — you'll need it.

What is Text Formatting?

Text formatting refers to the visual styling applied to text to add emphasis, structure, or meaning. The most common formatting options include:

• Bold - Makes text thicker and darker for strong emphasis
• Italic - Slants text for subtle emphasis or titles
• Strikethrough - Draws a line through text to indicate deletion or correction
• Code - Monospace font for technical terms and code snippets
• Underline - Draws a line under text (less common in modern formatting)

Most modern platforms use a text-based syntax called Markdown to enable formatting without relying on buttons or menus. Understanding markdown is the key to formatting text efficiently across platforms.

Markdown Formatting Basics

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It uses simple symbols to indicate formatting, making it easy to read even before rendering. Here are the core formatting symbols:

Bold Text

Wrap text with double asterisks or double underscores:

• **bold text** becomes bold text
• __bold text__ becomes bold text

The double asterisk method is more commonly used and works across more platforms.

Italic Text

Wrap text with single asterisks or single underscores:

• *italic text* becomes italic text
• _italic text_ becomes italic text

Bold and Italic Combined

Combine three asterisks for both bold and italic:

• ***bold and italic*** becomes bold and italic

Strikethrough

Wrap text with double tildes:

• ~~deleted text~~ becomes deleted text

Inline Code

Wrap text with backticks for inline code:

• `code snippet` displays as monospace text

Code Blocks

Use triple backticks for multi-line code:

```
function hello() {
  console.log("Hello, World!");
}
```

Discord Text Formatting

Discord uses a modified version of markdown that supports rich text formatting in messages, channel topics, and server descriptions. Here's the complete reference:

Discord-Specific Features

• Syntax highlighting: Add language name after opening backticks (```js, ```python)
• Block quotes: Use >>> for multi-line quotes
• Headers: Use # for headers (up to three # for smaller sizes)
• Lists: Use - or * for bullet points, numbers for numbered lists

Slack Text Formatting

Slack supports both keyboard shortcuts and markdown-style syntax. The formatting options work in messages, channel descriptions, and canvas documents.

Slack vs Markdown Differences

Note that Slack's syntax differs slightly from standard markdown:

• Bold uses single asterisks: *bold* in Slack vs **bold** in markdown
• Strikethrough uses single tilde: ~strike~ in Slack vs ~~strike~~ in markdown
• Links: Use <URL|text> format instead of [text](URL)

Reddit Text Formatting

Reddit uses standard markdown with some extensions. Formatting works in posts, comments, and subreddit descriptions. Reddit also offers a rich text editor that hides the markdown syntax.

Reddit Headers and Lists

Reddit supports full header hierarchy and lists:

• Headers: Use # for H1, ## for H2, through ###### for H6
• Bullet lists: Start lines with -, *, or +
• Numbered lists: Start lines with numbers (1., 2., etc.)
• Horizontal rule: Use --- or *** on its own line

Universal Keyboard Shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts work in most applications including word processors, browsers, email clients, and many messaging platforms:

Application-Specific Shortcuts

• Google Docs: Strikethrough is Alt + Shift + 5
• Microsoft Word: Strikethrough is Ctrl + D, then select strikethrough
• Notion: Use Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S for strikethrough
• Obsidian: Follows standard markdown with Ctrl/Cmd + B, I shortcuts

Using Formatting with Character Counters

When counting characters for platform limits, remember that formatting syntax counts toward your total. For example, **bold** uses 8 characters to display 4 characters of bold text. Use our character counter tool to count your total characters including formatting markup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make text bold in Discord?

To make text bold in Discord, wrap your text with double asterisks: **bold text**. For example, typing **Hello** will display as Hello. This works in messages, channel topics, and server descriptions throughout Discord.

What is the keyboard shortcut for bold text?

The universal keyboard shortcut for bold text is Ctrl+B on Windows and Linux or Cmd+B on Mac. This shortcut works in most word processors, email clients, browsers, and messaging applications. Some platforms like Slack support this shortcut even within their markdown-based systems.

How do I strikethrough text?

To strikethrough text on most platforms, wrap your text with double tildes: ~~strikethrough~~. This syntax works on Discord, Reddit, GitHub, and many other markdown-enabled platforms. Slack uses a single tilde (~text~) instead of double.

Does Reddit support markdown formatting?

Yes, Reddit fully supports markdown formatting. You can use bold (**text**), italic (*text*), strikethrough (~~text~~), headers (#), links [text](URL), lists, code blocks, and more. Reddit also offers a visual editor that hides the markdown syntax for users who prefer a WYSIWYG experience.

How do I format code in Slack?

For inline code in Slack, wrap text with single backticks: `code`. For multi-line code blocks, use triple backticks on separate lines before and after your code. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C for inline code formatting.