<del>: The DEL Element
Last updated: 2026-10-13
<del>The DEL Element
Represents text that has been deleted from the document, rendered with a strikethrough by default.
| Category | Formatting |
|---|---|
| Content Model | Phrasing content |
| Allowed Parents | Any element that accepts phrasing content |
| Content Tag | Yes — requires closing </del> tag |
| Status | Standard |
📝 Syntax
<del>deleted text</del>⚙️ Attributes
This element supports the global attributes plus the following:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
cite | URL | A URL explaining the reason for the deletion. |
datetime | Datetime | The date and time of the deletion. |
▶ Example
Edit the code below and see the live result in the playground:
🌐 Browser Support
| Browser |  Chrome |
 Edge |
 Firefox |
 Safari |
 Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <del> | ✓ v1 | ✓ v12 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 |
| Supported in all major browsers | |||||
Tip： Often paired with <ins> to show a revision (delete then insert).
❓ FAQ
QWhat is the difference between del and s?
ABoth render as strikethrough by default, but the semantics differ:
<del> means the content has been deleted (often paired with <ins> to show revisions), while <s> means the content is no longer accurate or relevant (such as a sold-out price). Use <del> for document edits and <s> for outdated information.QDoes del need to be used with ins?
ANot required, but recommended. In revision scenarios,
<del> marks the removed old content and <ins> marks the new content; showing them as a pair makes the change clear. Using <del> alone is also perfectly valid.QWhat are the cite and datetime attributes of del for?
AThe
cite attribute takes a URL pointing to a document explaining why the content was removed; the datetime attribute records when it was removed (ISO 8601 format, e.g. 2026-01-15). Both are invisible to users but provide revision metadata for search engines and tools.🏷️ Related Tags
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📚 Related Tutorials
