\textit vs \emph
\textit always italicizes. \emph emphasizes — italic by default, but toggles back to upright when nested. Subtle but matters.
The toggling demonstration
% \textit always italic
\textit{The \textit{Great Gatsby} is a classic.}
% Renders: ALL ITALIC, no contrast on "Gatsby"
% \emph toggles
\emph{The \emph{Great Gatsby} is a classic.}
% Renders: italic, but "Gatsby" is UPRIGHT (toggled)The decision rule
- Use
\emphfor emphasizing words in body text. Semantic intent: "this word is emphasized." - Use
\textitfor typographic italic. Semantic intent: "this should be visually italic, regardless of context." Examples: book titles, foreign words, scientific species names.
Common scenarios
| Use case | Use |
|---|---|
| Emphasizing a key word in a sentence | \emph |
| Book title (e.g., War and Peace) | \textit |
| Foreign word (e.g., tabula rasa) | \textit |
| Scientific species name (Homo sapiens) | \textit |
| Definition mark (the algorithm) | \emph |
In math text-mode \text{...} | \textit (\emph quirky) |
Other text style commands
| Command | Effect | Declarative form |
|---|---|---|
| \textit | Italic | \itshape |
| \textbf | Bold | \bfseries |
| \emph | Emphasis (toggling) | — (uses \itshape internally) |
| \textsl | Slanted (different from italic in some fonts) | \slshape |
| \textsc | Small caps | \scshape |
| \textsf | Sans-serif | \sffamily |
| \texttt | Monospace / typewriter | \ttfamily |
| \textnormal | Default upright | \normalfont |
Common mistakes
- Using
\textitfor everything. Misses the semantic distinction between emphasis and italic. - Using
\emphin math mode. Inconsistent results. Use\textitor just plain math mode. - Mixing
\textitand\emphrandomly. Inconsistent nested behavior. Pick one style and stick to it. - Loading
ulemwithout[normalem]. Redefines\emphto underline. Always use\usepackage[normalem]{ulem}if you need ulem.
_emphasized_ // markdown-style italic
*bold*
#emph[semantically emphasized] // function form
#text(style: "italic")[italic]Frequently Asked Questions
\textit always produces italic. \emph means 'emphasize' and produces italic by default — but if nested inside another \emph, it toggles back to upright (roman) for visual contrast. \emph is semantic; \textit is typographic.
Use \emph for emphasizing words in body text ('this is the *key* point'). Use \textit for typographic italic where the meaning is 'this is in italic style' rather than 'this is emphasized' — book titles, foreign words, scientific names. The distinction matters for accessibility and screen readers (which can announce emphasis).
When you nest \emph inside another \emph, the inner one switches to upright text — creating a visible contrast. Example: \emph{The Great \emph{Gatsby} is a classic} renders 'The Great Gatsby is a classic' with 'The Great' in italic and 'Gatsby' upright. \textit nested inside \textit just stays italic — no contrast.
Same distinction applies. \textbf is the modern command-with-argument form; \bf is the older 'switch to bold' form. Use \textbf in nearly all cases. \bfseries is the declarative form for use inside groups: {\bfseries text} switches to bold for the brace scope.
Yes. \textsl for slanted (different from italic on some fonts), \textsf for sans-serif, \texttt for monospace/typewriter, \textsc for small caps, \textnormal for default upright. All take a single argument. There are corresponding \sffamily, \ttfamily, \scshape declarations for groups.
No. \emph produces inconsistent results inside math mode. Use \textit{x} for italic text in math, or just regular math mode (which italicizes variables by default). For text-style words inside math: \text{...} from amsmath, or \textnormal{...}.
Common cause: mixing \textit and \emph for the same purpose. Pick one style guide: \emph for everything if you want toggling-based readability, \textit for everything if you want predictable italic. Inconsistent mix gives unpredictable nested behavior.
Most don't specify. APA's general guidance favors \emph for emphasis (since the underlying intent is emphasis, not visual italic). Computer science journals are mixed — some templates use \emph, some \textit. Defer to the template if in doubt.