Markdown Syntax Guide

Sample article showcasing basic Markdown syntax and formatting for HTML elements.

Lastmod: 2026-05-10

Sample article showcasing basic Markdown syntax and formatting for HTML elements.

Table of Contents

This article offers a sample of basic Markdown syntax that can be used in Hugo content files, also it shows whether basic HTML elements are decorated with CSS in a Hugo theme.

Headings

The following HTML <h1> to <h6> elements represent six levels of section headings. <h1> is the highest section level while <h6> is the lowest.

H3

H4

H5
H6

Paragraph

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Itatur? Quiatae cullecum rem ent aut odis in re eossequodi nonsequ idebis ne sapicia is sinveli squiatum, core et que aut hariosam ex eat.

Images

Markdown

![Hugo IRIS Theme](images/screenshot.jpg)

![Hugo IRIS Theme](images/screenshot.jpg "This is the screenshot")

![Hugo IRIS Theme](./images/screenshot.jpg?version=0.126.2#hugo-126 "This local image keeps its query and fragment")

{{< centered >}}
![Hugo IRIS Theme](images/screenshot.jpg)
{{< /centered >}}

Output

Hugo IRIS Theme
Hugo IRIS Theme

Hugo IRIS Theme
Hugo IRIS Theme

Hugo IRIS Theme
Hugo IRIS Theme

Hugo IRIS Theme
Hugo IRIS Theme

Blockquotes

The blockquote element represents content that is quoted from another source, optionally with a citation which must be within a footer or cite element, and optionally with in-line changes such as annotations and abbreviations.


Blockquote without attribution

Tiam, ad mint andaepu dandae nostion secatur sequo quae. Note that you can use Markdown syntax within a blockquote.

Blockquote with attribution

Don’t communicate by sharing memory, share memory by communicating. — Rob Pike1

GitHub-style alerts

> [!NOTE]
> Hugo v0.132 adds Markdown blockquote render hooks with GitHub-style alert syntax.

> [!warning]
> Hugo v0.132.2 fixes lower-case alert designators.

> [!Tip]
> Mixed-case alert designators are normalized before rendering.

> [!WARNING]+ Custom alert title
> Hugo v0.134 adds Obsidian-style alert titles.

Note

Hugo v0.132 adds Markdown blockquote render hooks with GitHub-style alert syntax.

Warning

Hugo v0.132.2 fixes lower-case alert designators.

Tip

Mixed-case alert designators are normalized before rendering.

Custom alert title

Hugo v0.134 adds Obsidian-style alert titles.

Tables

Tables aren’t part of the core Markdown spec, but Hugo supports them out-of-the-box. Standard Markdown tables are styled by the theme table render hook.


NameRoleAge
BobWriter27
AliceDesigner23

Shortcode table

NameAge
Bob27
Alice23

Inline Markdown within tables

InlineMarkdownInTable
italicsboldstrikethroughcode

Code Blocks

Code block with backticks

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Example HTML5 Document</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>Test</p>
  </body>
</html>

Code block with Hugo’s internal highlight shortcode

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Example HTML5 Document</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>Test</p>
  </body>
</html>

Code diff with the diff shortcode

diff before.html after.html
--- before.html
+++ after.html
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 <div class="message">
-  <p>Powered by Hugo v0.124.1</p>
+  <p>Powered by Hugo v0.125.7</p>
 </div>
\ No newline at end of file

List Types

Ordered List

  1. First item
  2. Second item
  3. Third item

Unordered List

  • List item
  • Another item
  • And another item

Nested list

  • Item
    1. First Sub-item
    2. Second Sub-item

Goldmark Extras

Deleted text

Inserted text

Marked text

H2O

X2 + Y2 = Z2

Other Elements — abbr, sub, sup, kbd, mark

GIF is a bitmap image format.

H2O

Xn + Yn: Zn

Press CTRL+ALT+Delete to end the session.

Most salamanders are nocturnal, and hunt for insects, worms, and other small creatures.


  1. The above quote is excerpted from Rob Pike’s talk during Gopherfest, November 18, 2015. ↩︎


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