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MD050 - Strong Style

Strong emphasis style should be consistent.

Why This Rule Exists

Markdown supports two strong emphasis markers: double asterisks and double underscores. Consistent style improves readability.

Styles

Asterisks (Common)

This is **bold** text.

Underscores

This is __bold__ text.

Examples

Incorrect (Mixed)

This is **bold** and this is __also bold__.

Correct

This is **bold** and this is **also bold**.

Configuration

[MD050]
style = "asterisk"  # Options: "asterisk", "underscore", "consistent"
ValueDescription
asteriskUse **text**
underscoreUse **text**

| consistent | Match first occurrence |

When to Disable

  • Documents with intentional style variation
  • Content imported from multiple sources

Rule Details

  • Rule ID: MD050
  • Aliases: strong-style
  • Category: Formatting
  • Severity: Warning
  • Auto-fix: Yes
  • MD037 - Spaces inside emphasis
  • MD049 - Emphasis style