syn region mkdItalic matchgroup=mkdItalic start="\%(\*\|_\)" end="\%(\*\|_\)"
syn region mkdBold matchgroup=mkdBold start="\%(\*\*\|__\)" end="\%(\*\*\|__\)"
syn region mkdBoldItalic matchgroup=mkdBoldItalic start="\%(\*\*\*\|___\)" end="\%(\*\*\*\|___\)"
-execute 'syn region htmlItalic matchgroup=mkdItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]\%(\%([^*]\|\\\*\|\n\)*[^\\\*\t ]\)\?\*\_W" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
-execute 'syn region htmlItalic matchgroup=mkdItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_\ze\_W" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
-execute 'syn region htmlBold matchgroup=mkdBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
-execute 'syn region htmlBold matchgroup=mkdBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
-execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic matchgroup=mkdBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
-execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic matchgroup=mkdBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlItalic matchgroup=mkdItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]\%(\%([^*]\|\\\*\|\n\)*[^\\\*\t ]\)\?\*\_W" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlItalic matchgroup=mkdItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_\ze\_W" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlBold matchgroup=mkdBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlBold matchgroup=mkdBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic matchgroup=mkdBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic matchgroup=mkdBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend contains=@Spell' . s:oneline . s:concealends
" [link](URL) | [link][id] | [link][] | ![image](URL)
syn region mkdFootnotes matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\[^" end="\]"
execute 'syn region mkdID matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\[" end="\]" contained oneline' . s:conceal
execute 'syn region mkdURL matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="(" end=")" contained oneline' . s:conceal
-execute 'syn region mkdLink matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\\\@<!!\?\[" end="\n\{-,1}[^]]\{-}\zs\]\ze[[(]" contains=@mkdNonListItem,@Spell nextgroup=mkdURL,mkdID skipwhite oneline' . s:concealends
+execute 'syn region mkdLink matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\\\@<!!\?\[\ze[^]\n]*\n\?[^]\n]*\][[(]" end="\]" contains=@mkdNonListItem,@Spell nextgroup=mkdURL,mkdID skipwhite' . s:concealends
" Autolink without angle brackets.
" mkd inline links: protocol optional user:pass@ sub/domain .com, .co.uk, etc optional port path/querystring/hash fragment
syn region mkdInlineURL matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\\\@<!<\ze[a-z][a-z0-9,.-]\{1,22}:\/\/[^> ]*>" end=">"
" Link definitions: [id]: URL (Optional Title)
-syn region mkdLinkDef matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="^ \{,3}\zs\[" end="]:" oneline nextgroup=mkdLinkDefTarget skipwhite
+syn region mkdLinkDef matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="^ \{,3}\zs\[\^\@!" end="]:" oneline nextgroup=mkdLinkDefTarget skipwhite
syn region mkdLinkDefTarget start="<\?\zs\S" excludenl end="\ze[>[:space:]\n]" contained nextgroup=mkdLinkTitle,mkdLinkDef skipwhite skipnl oneline
syn region mkdLinkTitle matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start=+"+ end=+"+ contained
syn region mkdLinkTitle matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start=+'+ end=+'+ contained
syn match mkdCode /^\s*\n\(\(\s\{8,}[^ ]\|\t\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/
syn match mkdCode /\%^\(\(\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/
syn match mkdCode /^\s*\n\(\(\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/ contained
-syn match mkdListItem /^\s*\%([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+/ contained
+syn match mkdListItem /^\s*\%([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\ze\s\+/ contained
syn region mkdListItemLine start="^\s*\%([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+" end="$" oneline contains=@mkdNonListItem,mkdListItem,@Spell
syn region mkdNonListItemBlock start="\(\%^\(\s*\([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+\)\@!\|\n\(\_^\_$\|\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t+[^\t]\)\@!\)" end="^\(\s*\([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+\)\@=" contains=@mkdNonListItem,@Spell
syn match mkdRule /^\s*\*\s\{0,1}\*\s\{0,1}\*$/