Unified Markdown Cheat Sheet

February 11, 2026

This page provides a comprehensive, single‑page Markdown reference showing syntax and compatibility across VS Code, GitHub, and Hugo.

Hugo compatibility assumes the following Goldmark settings:

[markup]
  [markup.goldmark]
    [markup.goldmark.renderer]
      unsafe = true
    [markup.goldmark.extensions]
      table = true
      strikethrough = true
      taskList = true
      linkify = true
      footnote = true
      typographer = false

1. Headings

Syntax

# H1
## H2
### H3

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Headings	✔️	✔️	✔️

2. Bold, Italic, Bold+Italic

Syntax

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic*** or ___bold italic___

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Bold/Italic	✔️	✔️	✔️

3. Links

Syntax

[link text](https://example.com)

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Links	✔️	✔️	✔️

4. Images

Syntax

![alt text](image.png)

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Images	✔️	✔️	✔️

5. Code (Inline & Block)

Syntax

Inline: Use code like this.

Block: console.log("hello");

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Inline code	✔️	✔️	✔️
Fenced code blocks	✔️	✔️	✔️
Syntax highlighting	✔️	✔️	✔️ (via Chroma)

6. Blockquotes

Syntax

> This is a quote.

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Blockquotes	✔️	✔️	✔️

7. Lists (Ordered & Unordered)

Syntax

- Item
- Item

1. First
2. Second

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Lists	✔️	✔️	✔️

8. Task Lists (GFM)

Syntax

- [ ] Task
- [x] Done

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Task lists	✔️	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires taskList = true.

9. Tables (GFM)

Syntax

| A | B |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Tables	✔️	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires table = true.

10. Strikethrough

Syntax

~~text~~

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Strikethrough	✔️	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires strikethrough = true.

11. Autolinks (Bare URLs)

Syntax

https://example.com

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Autolink URLs	✔️	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires linkify = true.

12. Footnotes

Syntax

Here is a footnote.[^1]

[^1]: Footnote text.

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Footnotes	❌	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires footnote = true.

13. Inline HTML

Syntax

<div class="note">Hello</div>

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Inline HTML	✔️	✔️	✔️*

Hugo: requires unsafe = true.

14. Emoji Shortcodes

Syntax

:smile:

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Emoji shortcodes	✔️	✔️	❌

15. Horizontal Rule

Syntax

---

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Horizontal rules	✔️	✔️	✔️

16. Definition Lists (Not GFM)

Syntax

Term
: Definition

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Definition lists	❌	❌	❌

17. Front Matter (Hugo Only)

Syntax

---
title: "My Page"
date: 2025-01-01
---

Compatibility

Feature	VS Code	GitHub	Hugo
Front matter	Preview only	Shows as code	✔️

Summary

VS Code ≈ GitHub (both follow GFM closely)
Hugo matches them when Goldmark extensions are enabled
This page provides a unified reference so you can write Markdown once and trust it everywhere

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