Handbook
LaTeX Basics

3. Lists and Enumeration

Creating bullet points, numbered lists, and custom lists.

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Lists are essential for organizing thought. LaTeX supports three main types.

Level 1: Unordered & Ordered

Source Code
Example OutputStatic
\begin{itemize} \item Apples \item Bananas \end{itemize} \begin{enumerate} \item Wake up \item Drink coffee \end{enumerate}
  • Apples
  • Bananas
  1. Wake up
  2. Drink coffee

Level 2: Nested Lists

LaTeX automatically handles indentation and changing bullet styles for you.

Source Code
Example OutputStatic
\begin{enumerate} \item Preparation \begin{itemize} \item Buy ingredients \item Preheat oven \end{itemize} \item Baking \end{enumerate}
  1. Preparation
    • Buy ingredients
    • Preheat oven
  2. Baking

Level 3: Description Lists

Great for definitions or glossaries.

LaTeX
\begin{description}
  \item[HTML] HyperText Markup Language
  \item[CSS] Cascading Style Sheets
  \item[JS] The language of the web
\end{description}