WP Emphasis
One-click implementation of the New York Times open-source emphasis script which allows users to highlight and link to specific text within an article or post.
Consider an alternative
WP Emphasis shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 15 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.3 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where WP Emphasis stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| emphasis | >100 |
| Highlight | >100 |
| new york times | #78 |
| nyt | #8 |
| permalinks | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About WP Emphasis
From the official readme · v0.7Description
One-click implementation of the New York Times open-source emphasis script which allows users to highlight and link to specific text within an article or post.
In their own words:
Emphasis provides dynamic paragraph-specific anchor links and
the ability to highlight text in a document, all of which is
made available in the URL hash so it can be emailed, bookmarked, or shared.
The plugin allows for permalinking and highlighting of text on a paragraph and sentence level. No need to set anything up. Just install, tap shift twice, and start highlighting.
See The New York Times for syntax more information on general usage.
Questions, comments, suggestions? Please leave them on the WP Emphasis Plugin page.
Enjoy using WP Emphasis? Feel free to make a small donation to support the software’s continued development.
Installation
Install. That’s it. No settings. No fuss.
Changelog
0.7
- Removed unnecessary database call on page load
0.6
- Removed prototype support
- Default paragraph selector now works with most installs
- Updated Emphasis code to latest version
0.5
- Made jQuery the default build
- Updated source from community fork with bug fixes, better Internet Explorer compatibility
0.4
- Updated jQuery to port with performance improvements
0.3
- Ported to jQuery and added toggle under the readings settings page (default is native prototype build)
0.2
- Added support for SCRIPT_DEBUG (includes non-minified source)
- Moved action from init hook to wp_enqueue_script hook
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
FAQ
WP Emphasis: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Is WP Emphasis free?
Yes. WP Emphasis is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP Emphasis safe to use in 2026?
WP Emphasis shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 15 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP Emphasis?
WP Emphasis is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 4,139 times since it launched in January 2011. It was downloaded 46 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP Emphasis work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Emphasis is officially tested up to WordPress 3.3.2, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WP Emphasis last updated?
The latest version, 0.7, was released on January 18, 2012 (15 years ago).
Who makes WP Emphasis?
WP Emphasis is developed and maintained by Ben Balter.
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