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Using Italics in Plain Text Email Messages

How to fake italics for emphasis

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 7, 2020 Tweet Share Email Rakdee / Getty Images Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail Using italicized words and phrases in an email is a simple matter if you're using HTML or rich text format. True italics are impossible to produce in plain text and text messages, however. Instead, try these widely understood type conventions to add emphasis. Insert a slash character before and after the word or phrase. Example: /This is important/ Enclose the word or phrase in asterisks to signify bolded type. Example: *This is important* Type underline characters before and after the word or phrase to mimic underscoring. Example: _This is important_

HTML Rich Text and Plain Text Emails

You can choose the default format of emails in nearly any email client. Here are the key differences: HMTL is a tag-based language that browsers use to render text. When you choose HTML as your email format, the recipients of your email see it as you've formatted it, complete with style parameters, links, and graphics. You don't need to know HTML to compose email this way; email programs provide formatting options in their composition windows, and the HTML tagging happens automatically, behind the scenes.Plain text is just that: characters with absolutely no font, colors, text size, or other formatting information stored along with them. You might be able to set some parameters such as fonts and sizes in some plain-text editors, but these affect the appearance only on your own screen.Rich text (RTF) is somewhere between HTML and plain text. RTF allows for basic formattings, such as font, font size, and font style (for example, italics). Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Insert a Link in an Email With Mac OS X Mail How to View a Message in HTML With Express and Live Mail How to Add Rich Formatting to Text in iPhone Mail How to Get Mozilla Thunderbird Plain Text Email Display HTML vs. Plain-Text Emails Underlining in a Plain Text Email How to Compose Messages in HTML or Plain Text How to Change Email Format to HTML or Plain Text in Outlook How to Use Text Formatting and Images in Apple Mail Signatures How to Use Slack Strikethrough How to Use Microsoft Word How to Send a Plain Text Message in Outlook How To Use Bold, Italics, and Strikethrough in WhatsApp Change the Default Font in the Mac's Mail Program How to Change the Default Font and Size in Outlook What Is a Text File? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies