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Tables & Column Alignment Syntax0%
Tables & Column Alignment Syntax
Beginner12 min read•Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Tables are indispensable for summarizing product features, comparing technical specifications, displaying benchmarks, and documenting API parameters. While original Markdown omitted tables, GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) established the universal pipe-and-hyphen table standard.
Click to Zoom1. The Anatomy of a GFM Table
A GFM table consists of three distinct components:
- 1Header Row: Defines column labels separated by pipes (
|). - 2Separator / Divider Row: A line of hyphens (
---) and colons that defines column boundaries and text alignment. - 3Data Rows: Rows of content separated by pipes.
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| GET | /api/users | Fetch all registered users |
| POST | /api/users | Create a new user profile |
| DELETE | /api/users/:id | Remove user by unique ID |
2. Column Alignment Syntax (The Colon Rules)
The placement of colons (:) inside the second divider row controls how the entire column is aligned:
| Syntax in Separator | Alignment Direction | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
:--- | Left-Aligned (Default) | General text, names, descriptions, titles |
:---: | Center-Aligned | Status badges, short codes, dates, yes/no flags |
---: | Right-Aligned | Numbers, prices, quantities, file sizes |
| Product (Left) | Stock (Center) | Price (Right) |
| :------------- | :------------: | ------------: |
| Laptop | In Stock | $1,200 |
| Wireless Mouse | Low | $25 |
Click to Zoom3. Formatting Text Inside Table Cells
You can use most inline Markdown elements inside table cells:
- Bold / Italic:
| **Bold** | *Italic* | - Inline Code:
|const x = 10;| File path | - Hyperlinks & Badges:
| [Documentation](https://...) |  | - Line Breaks inside a cell: Use raw
<br />tags (pressing Enter will create a new row!).
How to Include a Literal Pipe (
|) in Cell Data?
If your code or text contains a pipe (like a TypeScript union or bitwise OR), escape it with a backslash: \|!
Example: | Type | string \| number |Interactive Quiz
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1
Which character is used to separate columns in a GitHub Flavored Markdown table?
Question 2
How do you right-align a column in a Markdown table?
Question 3
What is the minimum number of hyphens required per cell in the table separator row?
Question 4
How do you insert a line break inside a single table cell without breaking the row?
Question 5
How do you include a literal pipe character ('|') inside a table cell without splitting the column?
Next Lesson
Footnotes & Citation References
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Related Lessons
| Previous Lesson | Next Lesson |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Notation with LaTeX / KaTeX | Footnotes & Citation References |
Practice Quiz
Test your understanding of this lesson with 5 questions. Each question has one correct answer.