How to strike through text in Markdown
To cross out text in Markdown, wrap it in double tildes:
~~This text is struck through~~That renders as crossed-out text. Use the generator above to do it without typing the tildes — enter your text, see the live preview, and copy the result.
Where strikethrough works
Strikethrough comes from GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), not the original Markdown spec, but it’s supported almost everywhere you’ll use Markdown:
- GitHub (issues, PRs, README files)
- Reddit comments
- Discord messages (
~~text~~) - Most note-taking apps (Obsidian, Notion, Bear)
- Static site generators and documentation tools
If it isn’t rendering, your editor may be using plain CommonMark, which doesn’t include strikethrough — enabling GFM usually fixes it.
The one big exception: Slack
Watch out for Slack. Its “mrkdwn” format uses a single tilde, not two:
~struck through in Slack~If you’re formatting for Slack specifically, use our Slack Markdown formatter to preview it correctly.
Combine with other formatting
Strikethrough nests with bold and italic:
~~**struck and bold**~~
~~*struck and italic*~~Once you’ve got your strikethrough, keep writing in the Markdown editor with a full live preview and one-click export to PDF, DOCX, or HTML.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you strike through text in Markdown? +
Wrap the text in double tildes: ~~like this~~. It renders as crossed-out text. This works in GitHub Flavored Markdown and most modern Markdown editors.
Is strikethrough part of standard Markdown? +
It isn't in the original Markdown spec, but it's part of GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) and is supported almost everywhere — GitHub, Reddit, Discord, and most note apps. CommonMark alone does not include it.
Why isn't my strikethrough working? +
Some editors require GitHub Flavored Markdown to be enabled. Also note that some apps differ: Slack, for example, uses a single tilde (~text~), not two. Check which flavor your app expects.
Can I strike through part of a word? +
Yes, but avoid spaces directly inside the tildes touching the text. Use ~~word~~ rather than ~~ word ~~ for reliable rendering.