#Escaping

#What it is

Making * _ # and friends show up as themselves instead of being read as syntax.

#How to write it

Put a backslash in front:

\*not italic\*
5 \* 3 = 15
\# not a heading

#Which characters need it

\ ` * _ {} [] () # + - . ! |

No need to memorise them: escape only where the character would really be read as syntax in that position. A lone * in 5 * 3 is not italic, and the dot in 3.14 does not start a list.

#The easier way

For a short run, wrap it in inline code — nothing inside needs escaping:

`**shown literally**`

#Traps

• Inside a table a literal pipe must be \|, otherwise it splits the column — see Tables
• A backslash at the end of a line is a hard line break, not an escape