Italics in YouTube Comments: Tips To Format YouTube Comments

Did you know that you can use text formatting in your comments on the popular video streaming platform, YouTube? It’s true. Stand out by using strikethrough, bold, and italics in YouTube comments.

Disclaimer: Some of the links within this blog post are affiliate links, which means if you end up clicking through and making a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you

Doing this gives your comment more visibility and people are definitely going to notice it most. So, if you’re trying to grab the attention of a certain creator through a simple comment, this is the way to go.

YouTube relies on a set of specific symbols for the comment formatting. Thus, there is no formatting toolbar on either the mobile or desktop version of the app. Thankfully, the process is super easy and requires a few simple symbols.

The proper symbols in the front and back of the sentence/word are enough to customize it. I talk in detail about all these formats – bold, italics, or ~~strikethrough~~ on YouTube.

How to Make Text Bold in YouTube Comments

Making words bold is an age-old technique of giving text some visual boost. It increases the emphasis of a certain word or phrase. You do it quite a lot in your Microsoft Word files to highlight the importance of something.

For instance, you read “I can’t believe that happened” sounds different in your head compared to “I can’t believe that happened.” The latter focuses on the incident, implying that it was somewhat implausible, thus causing the speaker’s shock.

To format your YouTube comment so a word or phrase appears in bold font, you have to add an asterisk (*) on either side of it. Make sure you didn’t add any spaces in the middle because it won’t work then.

That means each asterisk has to be next to the last and first letter of the text you wish to show as bold. Typically, the asterisk is located as an alternative character to the digit “8” on English layout keyboards.

Try it now. Press down the Shift key and press 8.

The following is an example of bold text:

“Here’s how you make something *bold*!”

Copy and paste this on a YouTube comment section and watch how the word changes. It will appear after you’ve posted the comment. The asterisks will disappear from either side, leaving your drab text bolder, more impactful.

Side note: If you must add punctuating to the comment after it’s been boldened, a “space” has to be added after the closing asterisk. If you don’t do that, it breaks the instruction. You will see the asterisks instead of boldened text.

How to Add Italics in YouTube Comments

The font style Italics is popular for its “elegant” structure sloping from left to right. Whatever you decide on italicizing adds another layer of emphasis to the writing. However, there are no hard and fast rules to this one, so feel free to use it as you’d like.

Making the text appear in italics requires a process similar to making text bold. The only difference is that the asterisk is switched out for the underscore sign (_). The underscore sign goes on either side of the text needed to be formatted.

You will find the underscore on the same key as the hyphen, or minus sign. Don’t confuse the two. The underscore is longer and definitely, lower.

To get this sign, hold down the shift key and press the minus/dash character.

Below is an example of italicizing text:

“Let’s move on to the _italics_ section of the article.”

Copy and paste the string of text as it is on a YouTube comment section. Post to see the different formats.

How to Make Add Strikethrough in YouTube Comments

A ~~strikethrough~~ is helpful on multiple occasions. The primary purpose is to show the reader that you had a change of mind in the middle but you still want them to read what was previously penned. So, it’s an alternative to deleting the text.

In the modern text, strikethrough has two uses. Firstly, in a general manner, for instance, “Everyone is set to meet at ~~Newcastle-Upon-Tyne~~ Newcastle-Under-Lyme at 4 pm today.” Or, there is the obvious humor purpose.

“My ex called. Of course, I ~~got back together with him~~ called him out for his ridiculous expectation.”

Similar to making a text bold or italicizing it, putting a strikethrough effect in comments on YouTube requires the help of a special character.

In this case, it’s the hyphen or minus sign (-) that has to be placed on either side of the word or phrase.

Be careful not to mix this and the underscore sign up otherwise you may get italics in place of strikethrough and vice versa.

An example of strikethrough text:

“Behold! The power of -strikethrough- !”

Copy and paste the entire text as-is into a YouTube comment section and click post. Your entry will be updated to display the lovely effect.

Online Tools to Help Format YouTube Comments

Although the process of formatting YouTube is pretty simple, there are multiple online tools to make it easier. The biggest advantage is that you won’t have to commit memory to the special character and placements of those.

Through just one search on Google, I found some of the most popular online tools. Lingojam, Capitalize My Title, Boldtext are some of the many. You simply have to type in what you want formatted and these tools give you the finished results.

Copy and paste the text string on your YouTube comment. I also love the variations in the formatting style.

Finishing Thoughts

Adding bold, strikethrough, and italics in YouTube comments can be fun. It makes your text more attractive and engaging.

But understand that with great power, comes great responsibility. So don’t format entire paragraphs or long sentences. It’s overkill and sucks the fun out of it, don’t you think? Enjoy making your comments fancy!