List of document markup languages

Well-known document markup languages

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) – the original markup language that was defined as a part of implementing World Wide Web, an ad hoc defined language inspired by the meta format SGML and which inspired many other markup languages.

Keyhole Markup Language (KML/KMZ) - the XML-based markup language used for exchanging geographic information for use with Google Earth.

Markdown - simple plaintext markup popular as language of blog/cms posts and comments, multiple implementations.

Mathematical Markup Language (MathML)

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)

TeX, LaTeX – a format for describing complex type and page layout often used for mathematics, technical, and academic publications.

Wiki markup – used in Wikipedia, MediaWiki and other Wiki installations.

Extensible 3D (X3D)

Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML): HTML reformulated in XML syntax.

XHTML Basic – a subset of XHTML for simple (typically mobile, handheld) devices. It is meant to replace WML, and C-HTML.

XHTML Mobile Profile (XHTML MP) – a standard designed for mobile phones and other resource-constrained devices.

Metalanguages

Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) – a standard pattern for markup languages to which HTML and DocBook adhere.

Extensible Markup Language (XML) – a newer standard pattern for markup languages; a restricted form of SGML that is intended to be compatible with it.

Lesser-known document markup languages

(including some lightweight markup languages)

ABC notation - markup language for music scores in pure text.

Amigaguide – The Amiga hypertext documentation format, including multimedia support.

AsciiDoc - plaintext markup language similar to Markdown

Chemical Markup Language (CML)

Compact HyperText Markup Language (C-HTML) – used for some mobile phones.

Computable Document Format - used for interactive technical documents.

ConTeXt – a modular, structured formatting language based on TeX.

Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)

DocBook – format for technical (but not only) manuals and documentation.

eLML – eLesson Markup Language: create eLearning content

Encoded Archival Description (EAD)

Enriched text – for formatting e-mail text.

GML

Generalized Markup Language (GML)

Geography Markup Language (GML)

Gesture Markup Language (GML)

Graffiti Markup Language (GML)

Guide Markup Language (GuideML) – used by the Hitchhiker's Guide site.

Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) – designed for smartphones and handheld computers.

Help Markup Language (HelpML)

Hypermedia/Time-based Structuring Language (HyTime)

HyperTeX – for including hyperlinks in TeX (and LaTeX) documents.

Information Presentation Facility (IPF) – is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. It is also the default help file format used by the cross-platform fpGUI Toolkit project.

JATS (Journal Article Tag Suite) – a NISO standard of XML used to describe and publish STEM (scientific/technical/engineering/medical) scholarly journal articles

LilyPond – a system for music notation.

LinuxDoc – used by the Linux Documentation Project.

Lout – a document formatting functional programming language, similar in style to LaTeX.

Maker Interchange Format (MIF)

Microsoft Assistance Markup Language (MAML)

Music Encoding Initiative (MEI)

Music Extensible Markup Language (MusicXML)

Open Mathematical Documents (OMDoc)

OpenMath – a markup language for mathematical formulae which can complement MathML.

Parameter Value Language, stores mission data in NASA's Planetary Database System

Plain Old Documentation (POD) – a simple, platform-independent documentation tool for Perl.

Pillar - a markup syntax and associated tools to write and generate documentation written in Pharo

Remote Telescope Markup Language (RTML)

reStructuredText (reSt) - plaintext platform-independent markup used as Python libraries documentation tool, multiple output formats (HTML, LaTeX, ODT, EPUB, ...)

Retail Template Markup Language (RTML) – e-commerce language which is based on Lisp.

Revisable-Form Text (RFT) – part of IBM's Document Content Architecture to allow transfer of formatted documents to other systems.

S1000D – international specification for technical documentation related to commercial or military; aerospace, sea or land; vehicles or equipment.

Scribe – Brian Reid's seminal markup language

Script – Early IBM markup language on which GML is built.

SKiCal - a machine-readable format for the interchange of enhanced yellow-page directory listings.

Texinfo – GNU documentation format.

Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) – Guidelines for text encoding in the humanities, social sciences and linguistics.

Textile (markup language) – Plaintext XHTML web text.

troff (typesetter runoff), groff (GNU runoff)

UDO (markup language), a lightweight markup language

Wireless Markup Language (WML), Wireless TV Markup Language (WTVML)

Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) XML based user interface markup language

Xupl – a C-style equivalent to XML.

Metalanguages

Bach – general purpose semantic document markup language

Office document markup languages

Compound Document Format

Office Open XML (OOXML) – open standard format for office documents:

SpreadsheetML – spreadsheet language, part of Office Open XML

PresentationML – presentations language, part of Office Open XML

WordprocessingML – wordprocessing language, part of Office Open XML

Microsoft Office 2003 XML formats – predecessor of Office Open XML

OpenDocument (ODF) – open standard format for office documents

OpenOffice.org XML – predecessor of OpenDocument

ReportML – Report format language originating from Microsoft Access. (not a part of Office Open XML (yet))

Rich Text Format (RTF) – Microsoft format for exchanging documents with other vendors' applications. (It is not really a markup language, as it was never meant for intuitive and easy typing.)

Uniform Office Format (UOF) – open format for office documents, being harmonised with OpenDocument.