Telegram Bot API supports two formatting modes: MarkdownV2 and HTML. Markdown V2 uses symbolic markers like **bold**, _italic_, and [text](url), while HTML uses familiar tags like <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, and <a href="url">text</a>. Markdown V2 is often preferred for its readability in raw form, while HTML is more explicit. Choose based on your bot's code style and which format you find easier to work with.

In Markdown V2, these characters must be escaped with a backslash \: _ * [ ] ( ) ~ ` > # + - = | { } . !. For example, to display hello_world literally, write hello\_world. In HTML mode, you need to escape < as <, > as >, and & as & when they appear as regular text (not inside tags). Use the Escape button in the toolbar to automatically escape selected text.

Telegram messages have a strict 4096 character limit, including all formatting markers and tags. If your formatted message exceeds this limit, the Telegram API will reject it. This tool includes a real-time character counter at the top of the editor — keep an eye on it! The counter turns orange when approaching the limit and red when exceeding it. Consider splitting long messages into multiple parts or using media captions for additional text.

Both formats work equally well with the Telegram Bot API. Markdown V2 is great if you're already familiar with Markdown (like on GitHub or Reddit) and want cleaner-looking raw text. HTML is better if you need precise control or are generating messages programmatically from templates. Many developers prefer HTML because it's more explicit and less prone to parsing errors caused by unescaped special characters. Set parse_mode to "MarkdownV2" or "HTML" in your API calls accordingly.

Telegram spoilers hide text until the user taps on it. In Markdown V2, wrap text with double pipes: ||hidden spoiler||. In HTML, use the <tg-spoiler>hidden spoiler</tg-spoiler> tag. Spoilers are perfect for hiding plot twists, surprise answers, or content that users should opt into viewing. In the preview area, spoiler text appears with a dark overlay — hover or click to reveal it.

Yes! You can combine styles like bold + italic. In Markdown V2, nest markers carefully: ***bold italic*** or **_bold underline_**. In HTML, simply nest tags: <b><i>bold italic</i></b>. However, <pre> (code blocks) cannot contain other HTML tags — they will be displayed literally. Also, links (<a>) can contain other inline formatting like bold or italic in HTML mode.

Common issues include: (1) Wrong parse_mode — ensure you set parse_mode to "MarkdownV2" or "HTML" in your API request. (2) Unescaped special characters — in Markdown V2, characters like _, *, (, ) need backslash escaping if they appear as literal text. (3) Malformed tags — check that all opening tags have matching closing tags. (4) Character limit exceeded — messages over 4096 characters will fail. Use this tool's preview to catch formatting errors before sending!