How to Format Text in Telegram: Complete Guide to Message Styling

Are you looking to add some pizzazz to your Telegram messages? Want to make your chats more engaging and eye-catching? With Telegram’s built-in text formatting options, it’s easy to style your messages and make them stand out. In this complete guide, we’ll walk you through all the ways you can format text in Telegram to elevate your communication game.

Understanding Telegram’s Formatting Basics

Before diving into the various Telegram formatting options, it’s important to understand the basics of how formatting works in Telegram. Telegram uses a simple markup language to apply styles to your text. By adding special characters before and after your text, you can tell Telegram how to display it.

The main formatting symbols used in Telegram include:

• Asterisks (*) for bold
• Underscores (_) for italics
• Tildes (~) for strikethrough
• Backticks (`) for monospace
• Square brackets ([]) for URLs
• Angle brackets (<>) for email addresses

Most of these work by placing the symbol on both sides of the text you want to format. For example, to make a word bold, you would surround it with asterisks like this: *bold*.

It’s that simple! With just a few extra characters, you can completely change the look and feel of your messages. Let’s explore each of these Telegram formatting options in more detail.

How to Make Text Bold in Telegram

One of the most common ways to emphasize text is by making it bold. In Telegram, you can easily make text bold by placing an asterisk on both sides of the text you want to bold.

Here’s how it works:

• Add an asterisk before and after the text you want to make bold
• Send the message
• Telegram will display the text in bold

For example, if you type *this text is bold*, it will appear as this text is bold in the chat.

You can bold a single word, a phrase, or even a whole sentence. Just make sure to include the asterisks on both sides of the text you want to format.

Tips for Using Bold Text Effectively

• Use bold sparingly to make important words or phrases stand out
• Don’t overuse bold or your messages may look cluttered and hard to read
• Combine bold with other formatting options like italics for added emphasis
• Use bold for headings and subheadings to break up long messages and improve readability

In addition to using bold for emphasis within sentences, it’s also effective for creating visual hierarchy in longer messages. Use bold to delineate sections and highlight key points. This makes it easier for readers to scan the message and find the information they need.

When combining bold with other styles, be mindful of overdoing it. Bold already draws the eye, so using it in conjunction with too many other formatting options can be visually overwhelming. A little bit of bold goes a long way!

How to Italicize Text in Telegram

In addition to bold, you can also italicize text in Telegram to add emphasis or distinguish certain words. Italicizing text follows a similar process to bolding, but uses underscores instead of asterisks.

Here’s how to italicize text:

• Add an underscore before and after the text you want to italicize
• Send the message
• Telegram will display the text in italics

For example, typing _this text is italicized_ will appear as this text is italicized in the chat.

Like with bold formatting, you can italicize individual words, phrases, or full sentences. The underscores go on both sides of the text you want styled.

When to Use Italics

• To indicate titles of books, movies, albums, etc.
• For foreign language words or phrases
• To show emphasis, but more subtly than bold
• For stylistic purposes like sarcasm or internal dialogue

Italics are a versatile styling option that can convey a variety of tones and intentions. In informal writing, italics are often used for emphasis in a similar way to verbal stress — they can make certain words stand out without being as “loud” as bold formatting. This makes italics well-suited for nuanced emotions like sarcasm, irony, or subtle excitement.

For more formal writing, italics are commonly used to denote titles of standalone works like books, films, TV shows, albums, newspapers, and magazines. This helps distinguish the title from the rest of the text while still being understated.

Italics are also the standard styling for non-English words and phrases, such as “je ne sais quoi” or “al dente”. This signals to the reader that the term is from a different language.

When using italics for emphasis, be selective. Italicizing too many words in a message can dilute the effect and make it harder to discern what’s truly important. Save italics for the words and phrases that most need to be stressed.

Striking Through Text in Telegram

Want to cross something out or show a change of thought? Strikethrough formatting is a great option. In Telegram, you create strikethrough text by placing tildes (~) around the text.

How to strikethrough:

• Put a tilde before and after the text you want crossed out
• Send the message
• The text will appear with a line through the middle

So if you type ~this text is strikethrough~, it will show up as this text is strikethrough.

Strikethrough can be used on any length of text, as long as you include tildes on both sides.

Creative Uses for Strikethrough

• Crossing out old information that has been updated
• Showing the progression of an idea by striking the initial thought
• Adding humor by striking through the “wrong” word
• Creating to-do lists and checking off completed items

Strikethrough is a unique formatting option that can add visual interest and contextual meaning to your Telegram messages. One common use is for humorous effect — by striking through a word or phrase and then following it with a different word or phrase, you can simulate a verbal correction or change of mind in a way that makes the original thought still visible. This can be used for jokes, sarcasm, or self-deprecation.

On a more practical level, strikethrough is useful for showing the evolution of an idea or plan. By leaving the original thought readable but crossed out, and adding the new version next to it, you can clearly illustrate how the concept has changed. This is especially handy in group chats where you’re collaborating on a project or brainstorming together.

Strikethrough can also be used as a simple to-do list system within Telegram. Type out your list of tasks, then cross them off as you complete them. This keeps all the information in one place and lets others see your progress if it’s a shared list.

As with the other formatting options, use strikethrough deliberately. It works best when the crossed-out text is still relevant to the conversation, either for reference or humorous effect. Striking through random words with no clear intent can be confusing for your chat partners.

Using Monospace for Code Snippets

If you’re discussing anything technical or programming-related, using monospace formatting is a must. Monospace text uses a fixed-width font where each character occupies the same amount of space. This is ideal for displaying code snippets, file paths, or command line input.

To create monospace text in Telegram, use backticks:

• Place a backtick before and after the text you want in monospace
• Send the message
• The text will be displayed in a monospace font

For instance, this text is monospace will appear like this text is monospace.

Monospace works for inline code and also for multi-line code blocks. For multiple lines of monospace text, use triple backticks before and after the block.

Tips for Formatting Code

• Use monospace anytime you’re sharing code snippets or technical commands
• For multi-line code blocks, specify the programming language after the first triple backticks to enable syntax highlighting
• Avoid using monospace for non-code text as it can reduce readability

Formatting code is crucial when you’re collaborating on a technical project or providing programming assistance over Telegram. Monospace text makes code snippets stand out visually from the rest of the chat and preserves the spacing and indentation, which are essential for many programming languages. It also prevents the code from being parsed as Telegram formatting symbols.

For longer code snippets that span multiple lines, use triple backticks to create a code block. This tells Telegram to display the text as-is, with line breaks and spacing intact. You can even specify the programming language after the opening triple backticks (e.g. “`python) to enable syntax highlighting, which colors different elements of the code for better readability.

While monospace is great for code, it’s less suitable for regular text. The fixed-width nature of monospace fonts means that they take up more horizontal space than variable-width fonts, which can make long passages harder to read. Reserve monospace for actual code and technical content.

Adding Links in Telegram

Telegram allows you to include clickable links in your messages to reference websites, articles, or other online resources. There are a couple ways to add links.

Formatting Links

To create a link with custom link text:

1. Put the link text in square brackets
2. Immediately follow it with the URL in parentheses
3. Send the message
4. The text will be hyperlinked to the URL

For example: [Telegram Homepage](https://telegram.org) creates a link like this: Telegram Homepage

You can also paste a full URL and Telegram will automatically make it clickable: https://telegram.org becomes https://telegram.org

Link Previews

When you send a message with just a link, Telegram will automatically generate a rich link preview, showing a title, description, and image from the linked page. This gives recipients more context about the link.

If you don’t want the link preview to appear, you can disable it on a per-message basis:

1. Paste the URL
2. Before sending, tap and hold the Send button
3. Select “Send without preview”

Links are one of the most useful Telegram formatting options, as they allow you to reference external content without cluttering up the chat. By using the bracket-and-parenthesis method, you can create descriptive link text that gives readers a clear idea of where the link will take them. This is beneficial for both readability and accessibility.

On the other hand, simply pasting a full URL has the advantage of showing the actual destination in the chat. This can be preferable when you want to emphasize the source of the information or when the URL itself is relevant to the discussion.

Telegram’s automatic link previews are a handy feature that provides at-a-glance info about the content behind a link. These previews are generated from the Open Graph tags of the linked page, which are invisible pieces of metadata that convey key details like the page title, description, and a representative image.

However, link previews can sometimes be distracting or irrelevant, especially in more serious or technical conversations. In these cases, it’s good etiquette to disable the preview before sending the message. This keeps the focus on your actual text rather than the linked content.

Mentioning Users and Channels

Telegram lets you mention other users and channels in your messages using @username syntax. When you mention someone, they will be notified about the message.

To mention a user:

• Type @ followed by their username
• Select the user from the suggestions that appear
• Send the message

The username will become a clickable link to that user’s profile. You can mention users who aren’t in the current chat, as long as you know their username.

To link to a channel or group:

• Type @ followed by the channel/group username
• Send the message
• The name will link to that channel or group

Keep in mind that some users/channels may have disabled being linked.

Mentioning is a key feature for effective communication and collaboration on Telegram. By @mentioning a user, you can draw their attention to a specific message or thread, even if they’re not actively participating in the chat. This is particularly useful in busy group chats where important messages can easily get lost in the shuffle.

When you @mention someone, they receive a special notification letting them know they’ve been referenced. This works even if the person has muted regular notifications for that chat. As such, it’s a powerful tool for ensuring that critical information reaches the right people.

Similarly, @mentioning channels and groups creates clickable links that allow others to easily navigate to those locations. This is handy for cross-referencing related conversations or directing people to additional resources.

A few things to keep in mind with @mentions:

• Some users may have disabled the ability to link to them, so their names won’t auto-complete when you start typing after the @ symbol. You can still type out their full username manually, but they won’t receive a notification.
• Avoid overusing @mentions, especially for minor things. Reserve them for messages that truly require someone’s attention.
• In large group chats, consider using @mentions sparingly to avoid constantly pinging people who may not be active.

Used judiciously, @mentions are a valuable way to foster engagement and ensure efficient communication on Telegram.

Combining Formatting Styles

For even more flexibility, Telegram allows you to mix and match different formatting options in the same message. You can have a bold word inside italicized text, or an italicized link inside a strikethrough sentence.

To combine formatting, just use the corresponding formatting symbols around the specific words you want styled. For example:

• _This text is in italics with some *bold words*_
• ~This is strikethrough but this part is _italicized_ and this is *bold*~
• [A link with *bold* and _italics_](https://example.com)

When nesting formatting symbols, make sure to close them in the reverse order that you opened them to avoid formatting issues.

Combining different Telegram formatting options gives you even more control over the look and feel of your messages. By nesting formatting symbols, you can put extra emphasis on certain words, or convey more nuance and personality in your writing.

For example, you might use bold inside italics to indicate strong emphasis within an already stressed phrase. Or you could strikethrough a word and then immediately follow it with the “correct” word in bold for humorous effect. The possibilities are endless!

One thing to watch out for when combining formatting is making sure your symbols are properly nested. Telegram reads formatting symbols from left to right, so the last symbol you open should be the first one you close. If you don’t follow this order, you may end up with formatting that doesn’t apply the way you intended, or that abruptly cuts off in the middle of a word.

It’s also a good idea to use combined formatting sparingly. Just like with the individual options, using too many styles at once can be visually overwhelming and make your message harder to parse. Aim for a balanced, deliberate approach that enhances your text without detracting from your overall meaning.

Advanced Formatting Tips

Here are some extra tips and tricks to level up your Telegram formatting skills:

Escaping Formatting Symbols

If you want to use an asterisk, underscore, or other formatting symbol in your message without styling the text, you need to “escape” the symbol with a backslash (\). This tells Telegram to treat the character as plain text.

Example:

• I use \*asterisks\* for emphasis appears as “I use asterisks for emphasis”
• \_underscores\_ displays “underscores“

Without the backslashes, those symbols would trigger formatting.

Formatting Parts of Words

Telegram’s formatting works on a per-word basis, so putting formatting symbols in the middle of a word won’t work as expected. For example unbe*liev*able won’t make “liev” bold.

To format part of a word, you need to put the formatting symbols around the entire word and escape the parts you don’t want styled:

• un\*be*liev*able\* will look like unbelievable

Accessibility Considerations

While formatted text can enhance your messages, it’s important to keep accessibility in mind. For people using screen readers, excessive formatting can be confusing and disruptive.

Some things to consider:

• Use formatting purposefully, not just for visual effect
• Provide text alternatives for images and other media
• Don’t rely solely on formatting for critical information
• Limit the use of emoticons and non-standard characters

These advanced tips can help you use Telegram formatting more effectively and avoid common pitfalls.

Escaping formatting symbols is crucial when you want to use them as regular punctuation. This often comes up with asterisks, which are a common way to denote footnotes or disclaimers. By placing a backslash before the symbol, you tell Telegram to ignore its usual formatting function and just display it as-is.

Formatting parts of words is a bit trickier, as it requires “isolating” the specific letters you want to style. The key is to put the formatting symbols around the entire word, then escape the characters on either side of the part you’re formatting. This takes a bit more effort than just wrapping the symbols around a whole word, but it allows for more precise styling.

Perhaps most importantly, always be mindful of accessibility when using Telegram formatting. While bold, italics, and other styles can add visual interest to your messages, they can also make the text harder to process for people using assistive technologies like screen readers.

FAQ Related To How to Format Text in Telegram: Complete Guide to Message Styling

Conclusion

Telegram’s text formatting options provide a wealth of possibilities for enhancing your messages and expressing yourself more effectively. From bold and italics to links and monospace, these styling tools let you add nuance, clarity, and creativity to your chats.

The key is to use formatting thoughtfully and judiciously – too much can be overwhelming, but just the right amount will make your messages more engaging and impactful. As you incorporate these techniques into your own Telegram style, keep the purpose of your messages and the needs of your audience at the forefront.

By mastering Telegram’s text formatting, you’ll be able to communicate with style and panache while still being clear and accessible. Your chats will be more dynamic, your collaborations more streamlined, and your personal messages more expressive. So go forth and format – your Telegram game will never be the same!