# MD049 - Keep italic text formatting consistent
Aliases: `emphasis-style`
## What this rule does
Ensures all italic text uses the same style throughout your document - either asterisks (*) or underscores (_).
## Why this matters
- **Visual consistency**: Mixed styles make documents look unprofessional and hastily edited
- **Reader focus**: Consistent formatting helps readers concentrate on content, not style variations
- **Team standards**: Makes it easier to maintain shared documents across teams
- **Tool compatibility**: Some tools may handle different styles differently
## Examples
### ✅ Correct (consistent asterisks)
```markdown
This text has *italic* formatting.
Another paragraph with *emphasized* text.
Even more *italicized* content here.
```
### ✅ Correct (consistent underscores)
```markdown
This text has _italic_ formatting.
Another paragraph with _emphasized_ text.
Even more _italicized_ content here.
```
### ❌ Incorrect (mixed styles)
```markdown
This text has *italic* formatting.
Another paragraph with _emphasized_ text.
Even more *italicized* content here.
```
### 🔧 Fixed
```markdown
This text has *italic* formatting.
Another paragraph with *emphasized* text.
Even more *italicized* content here.
```
## Configuration
```toml
[MD049]
style = "consistent" # Options: "consistent", "asterisk", "underscore"
```
### Style options
- **`consistent`** (default): Use whatever style is most prevalent in your document (in case of a tie, prefers asterisks)
- **`asterisk`**: Always use `*text*` for italics
- **`underscore`**: Always use `_text_` for underscores
## Automatic fixes
This rule can automatically fix issues by:
- Converting all italic markers to match your configured style
- When using "consistent", converting all markers to match the most prevalent style
## Learn more
- [CommonMark emphasis specification](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.31.2/#emphasis-and-strong-emphasis)
- [Markdown Guide: Italic](https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/#italic)
## Related rules
- [MD050 - Keep bold text formatting consistent](md050.md)
- [MD036 - Use proper headings instead of emphasized text](md036.md)
- [MD037 - Remove spaces inside emphasis markers](md037.md)