diff --git a/docs/messages.md b/docs/messages.md
index ba54e91d36..0d8ed87ef8 100644
--- a/docs/messages.md
+++ b/docs/messages.md
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 
 Similar to BBCode, tags begin with `[` and end with `]`. They may take positional arguments (`value`) and named arguments (`arg=value`). The order of named arguments does not matter. Values are parsed as integers if possible, and hexidecimal integers are supported. Tag names and argument names are case-insensitive.
 
+To write a literal `[` character (and not start a tag), prefix it with a backslash; i.e. `\[`.
+
 ### `[message name section= index=]...[/message]`
 
 Marks the beginning and end of a message.
@@ -51,7 +53,7 @@ To use other colors, provide `color` as an integer (e.g. `[color=0x10]`). Here a
 ### `[/color]`
 Resets the color to what it was before the most recent `[color=]` tag. The default color at the start of the message is assumed to be `[color=normal]`, which is true for most messages.
 
-### `[a]` `[b]` `[l]` `[r] `[z]` `[start]` `[c-up]` `[c-down]` `[c-left]` `[c-right]`
+### `[a]` `[b]` `[l]` `[r]` `[z]` `[start]` `[c-up]` `[c-down]` `[c-left]` `[c-right]`
 
 Shorthand for the button prompt characters ⒶⒷⓁⓇⓏⓈ⬆⬇⬅➡ respectively. You can override the color used with a named parameter `[a color=]`.