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MD049 - Keep italic text formatting consistent

Aliases: emphasis-style

What this rule does

Ensures all italic text uses the same style throughout your document - either asterisks (*) or underscores (_).

Why this matters

  • Visual consistency: Mixed styles make documents look unprofessional and hastily edited
  • Reader focus: Consistent formatting helps readers concentrate on content, not style variations
  • Team standards: Makes it easier to maintain shared documents across teams
  • Tool compatibility: Some tools may handle different styles differently

Examples

✅ Correct (consistent asterisks)

This text has *italic* formatting.

Another paragraph with *emphasized* text.

Even more *italicized* content here.

✅ Correct (consistent underscores)

This text has _italic_ formatting.

Another paragraph with _emphasized_ text.

Even more _italicized_ content here.

❌ Incorrect (mixed styles)

This text has *italic* formatting.

Another paragraph with _emphasized_ text.

Even more *italicized* content here.

🔧 Fixed

This text has *italic* formatting.

Another paragraph with *emphasized* text.

Even more *italicized* content here.

Configuration

[MD049]
style = "consistent"  # Options: "consistent", "asterisk", "underscore"

Style options

  • consistent (default): Use whatever style is most prevalent in your document (in case of a tie, prefers asterisks)
  • asterisk: Always use *text* for italics
  • underscore: Always use _text_ for underscores

Automatic fixes

This rule can automatically fix issues by:

  • Converting all italic markers to match your configured style
  • When using "consistent", converting all markers to match the most prevalent style

Learn more