How to Italicize Text on Reddit (Desktop & Mobile)

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Use italics to emphasize words & quotes on Reddit

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Markdown

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Using Rich Text (Computer)

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Video

Do you want to use italics in a post or comment on Reddit? You can do so easily with Reddit’s rich text editor (desktop website only) or with simple markdown tags. Read on to learn how to italicize on Reddit, whether you’re using a browser on your computer or the mobile app for your phone or tablet!

How to Write Italic Text on Reddit

To enable markdown on the Reddit website, click Switch to Markdown Editor. You don’t need to do this in the mobile app or website.
Place an asterisk * or an underscore _ on either side of the text you want to italicize.
If you’re using Reddit on a computer, you can also select the text, then click i button in the formatting toolbar at the top of the post or comment box.

Section 1 of 2:

Using Markdown

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1
Switch to the markdown editor if you’re in a desktop browser. You can create italics with markdown in both the browser version of Reddit and the mobile app. If you’re in the app, there is no rich text option. If you’re using a desktop browser, rich text is the default. To use markdown, first click Switch to Markdown Editor in the top right corner of the post or comment text box.^{[1]
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- Skip this step if you’re using the mobile app or a mobile browser to post on Reddit.
2
Surround the text with single asterisks (*). This is one of two ways to create simple italic text in markdown on Reddit. Simply put an asterisk on either side of the text you want to italicize.
- Example with markdown: No, you meant *walnut*. Walrus is a chain of big-box stores.
- Posted result: No, you meant walnut. Walrus is a chain of big-box stores.
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3
Use a single underscore (_) as an alternative. Surrounding the word with a single underscore on each side has the exact same effect as using an asterisk.
- Example with markdown: “What’s ‘updog’?” “Oh, not much. What’s up with _you_?”
- Posted result: “What’s ‘updog’?” “Oh, not much. What’s up with you?”
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Use triple asterisks or underscores for bold-italics. If you feel like something needs extra emphasis, you can combine bold with italics. Place three asterisks or three underscores on either side of the text you want to italicize.
- Example with markdown: You have been ***warned***! Please ___do not___ the cat!
- Posted result: You have been warned! Please do not the cat!

Section 2 of 2:

Using Rich Text (Computer)

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1
Write your text in the post or comment box. If you’re using Reddit in a web browser on your computer, you can easily add italics using the built-in rich text editing tools. Start by typing out the text you want to italicize.
- If you’re using Reddit in a mobile browser or the mobile app, you’ll have to use the markdown method instead.
Click and drag your cursor across the text, or click the beginning of the text, hold down Shift, and click again at the end of the text.
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Click the i button. It’s at the top left side of the text box when you’re creating a new post. If you’re writing a comment and you don’t see this option, click Aa at the bottom left side of the comment box to open the formatting menu. As soon as you click i, your selected text will be italicized.
- You can layer multiple formatting effects by selecting the same text and clicking other buttons, such as B for bold or S for strikethrough.