Which bullet character is best: hyphen (-), asterisk (*), or plus (+)?"

Hyphens (`-`) are widely considered best practice in modern Markdown. They are clean, fast to type, and avoid visual confusion with bold/italic asterisks or mathematical plus operators.

Can I mix bullet markers within the same unordered list?

While CommonMark permits mixing markers between items, doing so is discouraged as it creates visual clutter in raw plain text. Pick one marker (preferably `-`) and maintain consistency.

How many spaces should I indent for nested bullet points?

In CommonMark, indenting by two to four spaces (or a tab) creates a nested list item. Two spaces is the standard in modern tools like Obsidian and Oyma, while four spaces ensures strict compatibility across older CommonMark engines.

How do I add a paragraph under a bullet item without creating a new bullet?

Indent the paragraph by two to four spaces so its left edge aligns with the text of the parent bullet point.

Markdown Bullet Lists: Unordered List Syntax Guide

Primary SyntaxCommonMark

- First item
- Second item
  - Sub-item A
  - Sub-item B
- Third item

Unordered lists—commonly known as bullet lists—are the foundational building block of daily note-taking, project task tracking, outliner hierarchies, and meeting agendas.

From capturing quick thoughts in a daily journal to structuring complex multi-tier project outlines, unordered lists provide maximum structural flexibility without imposing sequential numbering constraints.

Unordered list syntax: hyphens, asterisks, and plus signs

In CommonMark, an unordered list item begins with one of three characters, followed by a space and your item text:

- Hyphen marker (Recommended)
* Asterisk marker
+ Plus sign marker

All three markers compile to identical HTML unordered list elements: <ul><li>...</li></ul>.

Best practice: Use hyphens (`-`) consistently

While all three markers are valid, using the hyphen (-) is the universal convention in modern knowledge management:

Hyphens require a single keystroke without pressing Shift.
Asterisks can be mistaken for emphasis delimiters (*italic*).
Plus signs are visually heavy and suggest arithmetic operations.

Multi-level nested outlines

You can create deeply indented bullet outlines by indenting child items using two spaces, four spaces, or a tab character:

- Product Strategy (Level 1)
  - Core Pillars (Level 2)
    - Privacy-first on-device processing (Level 3)
    - Zero cloud recording bots on calls
    - Sovereign CommonMark files on local disk
  - Target Audience
    - Engineering managers and tech leads
    - Product leaders and founders
    - Privacy-conscious consultants
- Execution Timeline
  - Q1: Desktop beta launch
  - Q2: Extended ecosystem integrations

In Oyma, nested lists automatically receive distinct bullet glyphs (such as disc, circle, and square) according to native macOS typographic hierarchy.

Loose vs tight lists in CommonMark

CommonMark distinguishes between two types of lists based on blank line spacing:

Tight lists (Compact)

When list items have no blank lines between them, they are rendered “tightly” without wrapping individual items in <p> paragraph tags:

- Clean design
- Fast search
- Offline autonomy

Loose lists (Expanded)

If you insert a blank line between any items in a list, CommonMark treats the entire list as “loose,” wrapping list items in <p> paragraph tags with extra vertical margins:

- Clean design

- Fast search

- Offline autonomy

Recommendation: Keep lists tight unless individual items contain substantial multi-sentence descriptions.

Embedding paragraphs and code blocks in bullet lists

To add multi-paragraph explanations or code snippets beneath a bullet point without breaking out of the list, indent the extra content by two to four spaces:

- System Audio Recording
  Oyma captures system audio using macOS ScreenCaptureKit APIs.
  This allows recording both sides of a meeting without inviting a cloud bot.

  ```bash
  # Check system audio capture permissions
  tccutil check ScreenCapture

On-Device Whisper Transcription Transcribes spoken dialogue locally on Apple Silicon Neural Engine.


## Transforming bullets into task lists

In GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) and Oyma, appending bracket checkboxes (`[ ]` or `[x]`) instantly upgrades any bullet point into an interactive task item:

```markdown
- [ ] Draft system architecture specification
- [x] Complete security egress audit

For detailed checkbox workflows, see our Task lists reference.

Managing bullet lists in Oyma

In Oyma, typing - immediately formats the line as a bullet. Pressing Return inserts a new bullet point. Pressing Tab indents the item deeper into the outline, while Shift+Tab outdents. Folding arrows in the editor gutter allow collapsing complex sub-trees, keeping your workspace clean and focused.

Frequently asked questions

Which bullet character is best: hyphen (-), asterisk (*), or plus (+)?": Hyphens (`-`) are widely considered best practice in modern Markdown. They are clean, fast to type, and avoid visual confusion with bold/italic asterisks or mathematical plus operators.
Can I mix bullet markers within the same unordered list?: While CommonMark permits mixing markers between items, doing so is discouraged as it creates visual clutter in raw plain text. Pick one marker (preferably `-`) and maintain consistency.
How many spaces should I indent for nested bullet points?: In CommonMark, indenting by two to four spaces (or a tab) creates a nested list item. Two spaces is the standard in modern tools like Obsidian and Oyma, while four spaces ensures strict compatibility across older CommonMark engines.
How do I add a paragraph under a bullet item without creating a new bullet?: Indent the paragraph by two to four spaces so its left edge aligns with the text of the parent bullet point.