Markdown · Separated by one or more blank lines
Paragraphs and line breaks
A blank line starts a new paragraph; a single newline is usually just a space.
Key facts
| Paragraph | Separated by one or more blank lines |
|---|---|
| Soft break | Single newline, rendered as a space |
| Hard break | Two trailing spaces or a trailing backslash |
| HTML | <code><br></code> also works but is less portable |
| Indentation | Up to three spaces before a block is ignored |
| Standard | CommonMark §6.7, §6.8 |
Newlines are not breaks
In most Markdown dialects a single line ending inside a paragraph is a soft break: the renderer joins the lines with a space. To force a line break, end the line with two spaces or a backslash. Both are invisible in the source, which makes them easy to lose in review or when an editor trims trailing whitespace.
A blank line ends the paragraph. Multiple blank lines collapse into one separator; they do not create vertical space. Use CSS or an explicit HTML block if layout spacing is required.
Portable line breaks
A trailing backslash is more visible than two spaces and is supported by CommonMark. Raw <br> works in most renderers but mixes HTML into the source and may be stripped by sanitizers.
For addresses, poetry or code-like output, a fenced code block is often better than a sequence of hard breaks because it preserves every line exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my line break disappear?
A single newline is a soft break. Add two trailing spaces or a backslash, or use a blank line for a new paragraph.
Can I indent a paragraph with spaces?
Up to three spaces are ignored. Four spaces at the start of a line make it an indented code block.