Bulleted and numbered lists

Bulleted lists

• A bulleted list is an environment — it opens with \begin and closes with \end:

\begin{itemize}
  \item First thing
  \item Second thing
\end{itemize}

• Every entry starts with \item. The bullets and spacing are handled for you.

Numbered lists

• Want 1, 2, 3 instead of bullets? Use enumerate — everything else is the same:

\begin{enumerate}
  \item Wake up
  \item Have breakfast
\end{enumerate}

• The numbers are automatic, so you can reorder items freely.

Lists inside lists

• Put a list inside an \item to make sub-points. LaTeX indents them and changes the bullet style.
• Now try turning a few lines into a tidy bulleted list.

Common mistakes

• Text before the first \item. LaTeX stops with ! LaTeX Error: Something's wrong--perhaps a missing \item.
• Closing with the wrong name. \begin{itemize} ... \end{enumerate} gives ! LaTeX Error: \begin{itemize} on input line 3 ended by \end{enumerate}. The message names the line where the list began.
• A blank line for a new bullet. It only starts a new paragraph inside the same bullet. Every entry needs its own \item.