Wikivoyage:Creating emphasis

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Italics

When writing your lively description, it's sometimes good to highlight certain topics or terms for the reader. A good way to do this is through bold and italics. Boldfacing a topic calls it out as important for someone skimming through an article; italicizing a term can emphasize its importance for someone reading the guide in detail.

Use boldface to call out important topics

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wv:bold

When you're writing paragraphs about important terms or phrases, use boldface to highlight those words or groups of words. Readers who are skimming an article will be able to find paragraphs that interest them without reading each and every word. They can then read the full paragraph in detail, if they're interested.

Examples:

• One of the main activities in Vermont during the winter is skiing. Ski resorts are open from Thanksgiving weekend through Memorial Day.
• There are many taquerias in the Mission district, serving up burritos made to order. This Mexican dish has become a San Francisco specialty.
• At all Bangkok sites and attractions, be on the lookout for scam artists. A frequent scam is to convince tourists that the site is closed for a "Buddhist holiday", and try to get them to come to a store or market instead.

Note that writing with all-capital letters is frowned upon; on the internet this is considered shouting, which is rude – see wv:capitalization.

Use italics for emphasis

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wv:italic

When you're writing prose, it's sometimes necessary to emphasize a term to mirror its emphasis in spoken English. To emphasize a term, use italics.

Examples:

• It is extremely dangerous to drive on Mexican highways at night.
• Don't wait until later to report the incident; contact your consulate or embassy immediately.
• It's not important to pack everything you can think of. What is important is that you pack what you need, and add to your baggage only the minimum of extra weight.

As a rule of thumb, use boldface to address readers who are skimming an article; use italics to address readers who are reading your prose word by word.

See also

• Wikivoyage:Foreign words — on where else to use italics (and where not)