# Best format for emphasis
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [June 4, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834 "2005-06-04T03:40:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/1 "2005-06-04T03:40:22Z")
If one wants to emphasize a word or phrase, which format is best: bolding, italics, or underline?
WRS
---
### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/2 "2005-06-04T03:56:21Z")
It’s really a matter of personal style. Me, I always use the old-school bold markers. It’s _really_ cool.
---
### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/3 "2005-06-04T03:57:36Z")
**Which** _strikes_ you _ **hardest** _ _among_ **these** _ **choices** _?
---
### Author:  [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/4 "2005-06-04T04:15:22Z")
You could do what I did earlier tonight and try to open the emphasis with one kind of tag and close it with another.
'Cause that works real well.
For most purposes, I prefer italics.
---
### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/5 "2005-06-04T04:17:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> If one wants to emphasize a word or phrase, which format is best: bolding, italics, or underline?
None of the above!
---
### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/6 "2005-06-04T05:55:01Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#):
>
> **Which** _strikes_ you _ **hardest** _ _among_ **these** _ **choices** _?
Italics get lost in the QUOTE feature.
---
### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/7 "2005-06-04T06:13:52Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#):
>
> Italics get lost in the QUOTE feature.
A good point. Also, some of us tiny-type-hatin’ old geezers scroll the fonts larger, to the point where they jump into bold all over, so that form of emphasis gets lost too.
You can always type in ALL CAPS TOO.
---
### Author:  [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/8 "2005-06-04T11:52:26Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#):
>
> A good point. Also, some of us tiny-type-hatin’ old geezers scroll the fonts larger, to the point where they jump into bold all over, so that form of emphasis gets lost too.
So that’s how you get round it. I’m another tiny- type hater but I never considered the scroll wheel thingy.
---
### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/9 "2005-06-04T12:14:26Z")
Blood…I am very wary of any notes that I receive that have been written with blood, human blood.
---
### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/10 "2005-06-04T12:51:14Z")
Embedding spyware within the body of the post will make folks sit up and notice!
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/11 "2005-06-04T13:04:23Z")
The problem with underlining is that it makes it look as though the word is a link.
---
### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/12 "2005-06-04T13:19:04Z")
> [@Vetch](#):
>
> So that’s how you get round it. I’m another tiny- type hater but I never considered the scroll wheel thingy.
Yeh, I recently discovered it and it’s a big help. You have to hold down the Control button while you do it. Scrolling toward you enlarges; scrolling away diminishes.
**twickster** , I agree with you on the underlining.
---
### Author:  [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/13 "2005-06-04T13:19:14Z")
Color **can be** helpful.
---
### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/14 "2005-06-04T17:23:33Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#):
>
> Italics get lost in the QUOTE feature.
Not on my screen. The italics show up perfectly, but the bolding looks exactly like the regular font.
---
### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/15 "2005-06-04T18:12:50Z")
**Happy Lendervedder** came close. One should accentuate one’s point like this, or possibly like this, or in dire circumstances like this, using a cascading effect to emphasize the relative importance of the words one is choosing.
---
### Author:  [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/16 "2005-06-04T18:27:51Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#):
>
> **Happy Lendervedder** came close. One should accentuate one’s point like this, or possibly like this, or in dire circumstances like this, using a cascading effect to emphasize the relative importance of the words one is choosing.
And just _how long_ did it take to type that?
---
### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/17 "2005-06-04T18:38:18Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#):
>
> **Not on my screen. The italics show up perfectly, but the bolding looks exactly like the regular font.**
Weird.
I’m using Netscape, you?
---
### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/18 "2005-06-04T20:07:28Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#):
>
> \*Weird.
>
> I’m using\* **Netscape,** you?
“Weird. I’m using” is in italics. “Netscape” is bolded. "you?’ is neither.
I’m using good ol’ IE 6.0.
---
### Author:  [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/19 "2005-06-04T20:41:15Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#):
>
> Yeh, I recently discovered it and it’s a big help. You have to hold down the Control button while you do it. Scrolling toward you enlarges; scrolling away diminishes.
!!!
Learn something new every day!
---
### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-format-for-emphasis/306834/20 "2005-06-05T02:34:12Z")
Italics are the proper typographical choice. Underlines are sort of a “poor man’s italics” - they exist as a substitute for italics when they are not available (as on typewriters). They are more distracting and break up the flow of text, drawing the eye even when you’re reading a different line of the paragraph. Plus, on the web, they stand for links (for those poor folks who haven’t turned off link underlining, anyway.) Underlining is straight out. Italics are also used for unfamiliar foreign words (but those that are common in English are not normally italicized) and for titles of books and films.
Bold is not used for normal emphatic text in typography, and further here on the SDMB we use it to set off usernames, so I think it would be visually confusing to use it for emphasis.