Markdown Strikethrough

Strikethrough text is useful for showing deleted content, corrections, completed tasks, or content that's no longer relevant. It's a simple but effective way to indicate changes without completely removing text.

Basic Strikethrough Syntax

Use two tildes (~~) before and after the text you want to strike through:

~~This text is struck through~~

Result: This text is struck through

When to Use Strikethrough

1. Showing Corrections

The meeting is at ~~2:00 PM~~ 3:00 PM on Friday.
Our budget is ~~$10,000~~ $15,000 for this quarter.

Result: The meeting is at 2:00 PM 3:00 PM on Friday. Our budget is $10,000 $15,000 for this quarter.

2. Completed Tasks

- [x] ~~Complete project proposal~~
- [x] ~~Review team feedback~~
- [ ] Schedule client meeting
- [ ] Prepare presentation

Result:

• Complete project proposal
• Review team feedback
• Schedule client meeting
• Prepare presentation

3. Outdated Information

System Requirements
- ~~Windows 7 or later~~ Windows 10 or later
- ~~4GB RAM minimum~~ 8GB RAM minimum
- ~~Internet Explorer 11~~ Modern web browser

Result: System Requirements

• •
  Windows 7 or later Windows 10 or later
• •
  4GB RAM minimum 8GB RAM minimum
• •
  Internet Explorer 11 Modern web browser

Combining with Other Formatting

You can combine strikethrough with other Markdown formatting:

Bold and Strikethrough

~~**This is bold and struck through**~~
**~~This is also bold and struck through~~**

Result:

This is bold and struck through

This is also bold and struck through

Italic and Strikethrough

~~*This is italic and struck through*~~
*~~This is also italic and struck through~~*

Result:

This is italic and struck through

This is also italic and struck through

Links and Strikethrough

~~[This is a struck-through link](https://example.com)~~
[~~This link text is struck through~~](https://example.com)

Result:

This is a struck-through link

This link text is struck through

Code and Strikethrough

~~`strikethrough code`~~
`~~strikethrough inside code~~`

Result:

strikethrough code ~~strikethrough inside code~~

Practical Examples

Document Revisions

## Project Timeline

- Phase 1: ~~January 15~~ January 20 (delayed due to holidays)
- Phase 2: ~~February 28~~ March 5 (adjusted for Phase 1 delay)
- Phase 3: March 31 (unchanged)

Meeting Notes

## Action Items

- ~~John: Research competitors~~ ✅ Completed
- ~~Sarah: Design mockups~~ ✅ Completed
- Mike: Develop prototype (in progress)
- Lisa: Prepare user testing plan

Best Practices

1. Don't Overuse

❌ Too much strikethrough:

~~This entire~~ paragraph ~~has too~~ much ~~strikethrough~~ text ~~and becomes~~ hard ~~to read~~.

✅ Use sparingly:

This paragraph has ~~one correction~~ one change that's easy to follow.

2. Provide Context

❌ Unclear:

The price is ~~$100~~ $150.

✅ Clear:

The price is ~~$100~~ $150 (updated for 2024).

3. Combine with Checkboxes for Tasks

- [x] ~~Design homepage~~
- [x] ~~Write content~~
- [ ] Review and publish

4. Use for Version Control

## Changelog

### v1.2.0
- ~~Fixed login bug~~ ✅ Completed
- ~~Added dark mode~~ ✅ Completed
- Performance improvements

### v1.1.0
- ~~User profiles~~ ✅ Released
- ~~Search functionality~~ ✅ Released

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Not rendering: Platform may not support strikethrough
2. Inconsistent spacing: Make sure tildes are directly adjacent to text
3. Breaking across lines: Keep strikethrough text on single lines when possible

Correct Syntax

❌ Incorrect:

~ ~ text ~ ~  (spaces around tildes)
~text~       (single tilde)
~~text ~     (mismatched tildes)

✅ Correct:

~~text~~     (two tildes, no spaces)

Strikethrough is a simple but powerful tool for showing changes and progress in your documents. Use it thoughtfully to enhance your content's clarity!

Ready to learn about making text stand out? Check out our guide on bold formatting next.