LaTeX Lists: Itemize, Enumerate, and Description
Date Published
Lists in LaTeX
Lists organize information clearly. LaTeX offers three main list types.
Bulleted Lists (itemize)
\begin{itemize} \item First item \item Second item \item Third item \end{itemize}
Renders as: • First item • Second item • Third item
Numbered Lists (enumerate)
\begin{enumerate} \item First item \item Second item \item Third item \end{enumerate}
Renders as: 1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item
Description Lists
For term-definition pairs:
\begin{description} \item[Term 1] Definition of term 1. \item[Term 2] Definition of term 2. \end{description}
Nested Lists
Lists can be nested up to 4 levels:
\begin{itemize} \item Main item \begin{itemize} \item Subitem \begin{itemize} \item Sub-subitem \end{itemize} \end{itemize} \end{itemize}
Bullet styles change automatically: Level 1: • Level 2: – Level 3: * Level 4: ·
Customizing with enumitem
\usepackage{enumitem}
Change Bullet Style
\begin{itemize}[label=$\star$] \item Star bullet \end{itemize}
Common labels: $\bullet$ — bullet $\circ$ — circle $\star$ — star $\diamond$ — diamond -- — dash $\checkmark$ — checkmark
Change Number Style
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\alph*)] \item Item a \item Item b \end{enumerate}
Number formats: \arabic* — 1, 2, 3 \alph* — a, b, c \Alph* — A, B, C \roman* — i, ii, iii \Roman* — I, II, III
Starting Number
\begin{enumerate}[start=5] \item This is item 5 \end{enumerate}
Resume Numbering
\begin{enumerate}[resume] \item Continues from previous list \end{enumerate}
Spacing
Compact Lists
\begin{itemize}[noitemsep] \item Tight spacing \item Between items \end{itemize}
No Top/Bottom Margins
\begin{itemize}[nosep] \item No extra space \end{itemize}
Custom Spacing
\begin{itemize}[itemsep=1ex] \item More space \item Between items \end{itemize}
Inline Lists
\usepackage[inline]{enumitem}
\begin{enumerate*}[label=(\arabic*)] \item First, \item second, \item third. \end{enumerate*}
Renders as: (1) First, (2) second, (3) third.
Left Margin
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*] \item Minimal indentation \end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=2cm] \item Custom indentation \end{itemize}
Global Settings
Set defaults for all lists:
\setlist{noitemsep} — compact all lists
\setlist[itemize]{label=--} — all itemize use dashes
\setlist[enumerate,1]{label=\arabic*)} — level 1 numbered
Multi-column Lists
\usepackage{multicol}
\begin{multicols}{2} \begin{itemize} \item Item 1 \item Item 2 \item Item 3 \item Item 4 \end{itemize} \end{multicols}
Create Lists with Octree
Octree makes lists easy:
- Visual list formatting - Smart indentation - Preview changes instantly - Export polished PDFs
Try it at https://useoctree.com