How can the backtick character ` be included in code?

Question

I tried before to post a shell script that contained a ` character as an answer on Stack Overflow. The parser insisted on treating the backtick as formatting instead of part of code.

How can I include it?

• Avatar: You can use the HTML entity `.

Answer 1

If you do not want to use a pre-formatted block, there is still a way to do it inline.

From the "Code" section of the Markdown Documentation:

To include a literal backtick character within a code span, you can use multiple backticks as the opening and closing delimiters:

``There is a literal backtick (`) here.``

The above example renders like this (double quotes added): "There is a literal backtick (`) here."

Also of note, you can add spaces to render an inline code segment that starts with and/or ends with backticks:

The backtick delimiters surrounding a code span may include spaces — one after the opening, one before the closing. This allows you to place literal backtick characters at the beginning or end of a code span:

A single backtick in a code span: `` ` ``
A backtick-delimited string in a code span: `` `foo` ``

The above examples render like this (quotes added): "A single backtick in a code span: `" and "A backtick-delimited string in a code span: `foo`".

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This may be implementation specific, but it looks like you can use N backticks to delimit any inline sequence that does not itself contain a maximal subsequence of exactly N backticks. For example, you can use three backticks to delimit a sequence that does not contain triple backticks (single, double, quadruple, quintuple, etc. are okay though).

Three quoting one, two and four: ``` one: ` two: `` four: ```` ```
Two quoting one, three, and four: `` one: ` three: ``` four: ```` ``
One quoting two, three and four: ` two: `` three: ``` four: ```` `

Yields:

Three quoting one, two and four: one: ` two: `` four: ````
Two quoting one, three, and four: one: ` three: ``` four: ````
One quoting two, three and four: two: `` three: ``` four: ````

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Finally, for comments:

Ah, in comments one does need to escape using a backslash? `\`yes\``.

• Mark Hurd: Sometimes, at least, double ` work in comments.
• Arjan: Ah, you're right @Mark, using a unique number of multiple opening and closing backticks works in comments too nowadays: ``one ` or three ``` within double backticks`` nicely yields one ` or three ``` within double backticks. But in comments, it still doesn't work when adding a space to the delimiters, to allow for a backtick at the start or end of the code. Like to get Perl's $` it seems one needs `$\`` in comments, as `` $` `` yields `` $` ``.
• Arjan: (Screenshot of the above comment, for future reference, as comments are rendered on the fly. So: if the implementation is changed, the above comment might render differently some day in the future.)
• brasofilo: Uau, costed me a bit to the the gist of the thing, dam ticks :)
• Jonathon Reinhart: Is a trailing backtick not possible? You can see that this does not get formatted: ```kill `pidof chrome````
• Chris Johnsen: @JonathonReinhart: Try putting a space between the trailing backtick and the closing backticks: ```kill `pidof chrome` ```
• Akronix: upvote for the escaping note for comments.

Answer 2

ChrisF's solution is the cleanest and easiest method, so I recommend using that whenever you can.

But if you find yourself needing it for inline code text and can tolerate needing to use <code> tags, its HTML entity `, demonstrated here: <code>this &#96; is a backtick</code> renders as this ` is a backtick.

• mklement0: This works, but only in answers, not in comments (where inline HTML is not supported). However (at least as of this writing), just use ` (backticks) directly inside <code> elements - no need to resort to HTML entities.
• Fish Below the Ice: Interestingly, ` doesn't work.
• Joe: This worked flawlessy in WordPress, unlike double-backticks from the accepted answer.

Answer 3

Put the code on a separate line and indent by 4 characters.

Like ` this

Answer 4

To show a single backtick formatted as inline code, there are three options:

• `` ` `` (Opening and closing the code section with 2 or more backticks)
• <code>&#96</code>
• <code>`</code>

• kizzx2: This is the correct answer
• Pere Joan Martorell: None of this 3 solutions worked for me when writing a code inline with backticks as an answer. The only solution was to put it in a new line and indented as in meta.stackexchange.com/a/55439/779583

Answer 5

I needed to display the following on Stack Overflow: enter image description here

Using a double backtick to escape the entire sequence does not work:

``x```

I could almost get it to work by adding a space before the closing pair:

x`

but that wasn't quite right. I ended up using a <code> block:

x`

Also, as suggested by @Laurel, you can add spaces both before and after:

x`

• Laurel: I wonder if you can use spaces on either side: `` x` ``. (Apparently not in comments).
• StayOnTarget: @Laurel well done!