| Combination | Syntax |
|---|---|
Bold + Italic | ***text*** |
Bold + Underline | __**text**__ |
Italic + Underline | __*text*__ |
Bold + Strikethrough | ~~**text**~~ |
Escape character | \**not bold** |
Nest the outer formatting around the inner formatting. Use a backslash before a symbol to stop it from formatting.
Once you know the individual formatting options, the next step is combining them. Discord lets you layer bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough on the same text. You can also escape Markdown so it displays as literal characters instead of formatting. This guide covers both.
For a complete reference of every formatting option, check out The Ultimate Discord Text Formatting Guide. If you need a refresher on individual types, see our guides on bold, underline, italic, strikethrough, code blocks, and lists.
How to Combine Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough
The rule for combining formatting on Discord is simple: place the outer formatting markers on the outside and the inner markers on the inside. For example, for bold italic, put the italic markers inside the bold markers: ***text***.
Each pair of markers must close in the reverse order they opened. Open from the outside in, close from the inside out.
Bold + Italic
Use three asterisks on each side: ***text***. This is the most common combination.
***This is bold and italic***
You can also nest them: **bold with *italic* inside** works too, but the triple-asterisk method is simpler.
Bold + Underline
Put the underline markers on the outside and bold inside: __**text**__.
__**This is bold and underlined**__
The order matters. **__text__** does not work because Discord reads the markers in the wrong sequence.
Italic + Underline
Same pattern: underline outside, italic inside. __*text*__.
__*This is italic and underlined*__
Bold + Strikethrough
Strikethrough outside, bold inside: ~~**text**~~.
~~**This is bold and crossed out**~~
Three-Way Combinations
You can stack three types at once by continuing the nesting pattern.
__***bold italic underline***__ — bold + italic + underline
~~__**bold underline strikethrough**__~~ — all four types
Combination Rules at a Glance
- Underline goes on the outside of bold and italic. Put
__around**and*. - Strikethrough goes on the outside of most other formatting. Put
~~around everything else. - Bold and italic can mix either as
***or nested. - You cannot put bold inside italic using the reverse order.
*text with **bold** inside*does not render the bold part. - Combinations do not work inside code blocks. Everything inside backticks displays literally.
How to Escape Markdown on Discord
Sometimes you want to type **text** and have it show up as literal asterisks instead of bold text. This is called escaping. The escape character on Discord is the backslash (\). Place it directly before the Markdown symbol you want to neutralize.
Escaping Bold
\*\*This shows as literal asterisks\*\*
Without the backslashes, Discord would render the text as bold. With them, it shows **This shows as literal asterisks** exactly as typed.
Escaping Other Markdown
\*italic\*— shows literal asterisks instead of italic\~\~strikethrough\~\~— shows literal tildes instead of strikethrough\> blockquote— shows literal>instead of a blockquote\`code\`— shows literal backticks instead of a code block\# Heading— shows literal#instead of a header
When You Need to Escape
Escaping is useful when:
- Writing a tutorial about Discord formatting (like this page)
- Sharing code snippets that contain asterisks or other Markdown symbols
- Talking about file paths that contain
*or# - Posting math expressions that use asterisks for multiplication
Combining Formatting with Colored Text
Colored text is the one type of formatting you cannot combine by hand. It only works inside an ```ansi code block, and Discord needs the color and style codes stacked in the exact right order. Because the escape characters cannot be typed on a normal keyboard, you cannot manually layer bold or underline onto colored text.
Use our free Discord Colored Text Generator to create colored text and add bold or underline to it, then copy the ready-to-paste code into Discord.
Note that colored text only renders on Discord desktop and web. The Discord mobile app does not support ANSI colors, so the message appears as plain monochrome text on phones.
Combining and Escaping on Discord Mobile
Both combining and escaping work the same way on mobile. The backslash key is on the symbols keyboard.
iOS (iPhone / iPad)
- 1
Type the outer format markers first, then the inner ones.
- 2
Type your text, then close in reverse order (inner markers first, outer last).
- 3
For escaping, tap 123 then #+= to find the backslash key.
- 4
Place a backslash directly before the symbol you want to escape.
Android
- 1
Nest formatting from outside to inside, close from inside to outside.
- 2
Use
__**text**__for underline + bold,***text***for bold + italic. - 3
For escaping, tap ?123 then =\< to access backslash.
- 4
Type the backslash immediately before the Markdown symbol with no space.
Combined Formatting Not Working? Try These Fixes
Common Issues
- The markers are closing in the wrong order. If you open with
__**, you must close with**__. Closing in the wrong order (__**text__**) does not work. - You are inside a code block. Formatting does not render inside code blocks. Everything inside backticks, including combination markers, displays literally.
- The escape backslash is in the wrong position. The backslash must be directly before the first symbol without a space:
\**not\ **. - You are trying to nest too many levels. Discord supports up to about three layers of nesting. Beyond that, the rendering becomes unpredictable.
- The combination involves unsupported types. ANSI colors, headers, and blockquotes cannot be combined with inline formatting in the same line. Keep those on separate lines.
Discord Formatting Combinations FAQ
How do I make text bold and italic at the same time on Discord?
***text***. This combines bold and italic in one marker pair. You can also nest them as **bold *italic***.How do I escape Markdown on Discord so it shows literally?
\) directly before the Markdown symbol. For example, \*\*text\*\* shows as literal asterisks instead of bold. Works for all Markdown symbols.What order should I use when combining formatting?
Can I combine code blocks with bold or italic?
Can I combine colors (ANSI) with bold or underline?
```ansi blocks) and cannot be mixed with regular Markdown formatting in the same line. Use ANSI style codes like [1;31m for bold red instead.Does colored text work on Discord mobile?
Why is my escaped text still showing as formatting?
\**text** works, but \ **text** does not because the space breaks the escape.