HTML Tag Reference

Last updated: 2026-09-12

HTML Tag Reference

Alphabetical list of 116 HTML elements with quick descriptions.

! — Special
<!DOCTYPE>	Declares the document type so the browser parses the page in standards mode
<!--...-->	Defines an HTML comment; browsers do not display its content
Global Attributes	Global attributes usable on all HTML elements
Event Attributes	Event attributes usable on all HTML elements
A
<a>	The `<a>` (anchor) element defines a hyperlink.
<abbr>	Represents an abbreviation or acronym; pair it with the title attribute to spell out the full form.
<acronym>	Marks an acronym (e.
<address>	Represents contact information for the nearest article or body, such as author name, email or address.
<area>	Defines one clickable region (rectangle, circle or polygon) inside a <map>; each area sets the shape, coordinates and target link.
<article>	Represents a self-contained, distributable piece of content such as a news article, blog post, comment or card.
<aside>	Represents content tangentially related to the main content, such as a sidebar, note, pull quote or ad.
<audio>	Embeds an audio player; often paired with source for multiple formats to ensure compatibility.
B
<b>	Renders text in bold without extra importance or emphasis, used only for visual stylistic offset (e.
<base>	Sets the default base URL or default target for all relative URLs; at most one per document, before any URL-bearing element.
<bdi>	Bi-directional isolation: treats its text as an isolated direction segment, avoiding mixed-direction contamination.
<bdo>	Bi-directional override: forces the text direction via dir, e.
<blockquote>	Represents a block-level quotation (distinct from inline q), optionally with a citation.
<body>	The document body holding everything users see: text, images, forms and more.
<br>	The `<br>` (line break) element inserts a line break in text.
<button>	The `<button>` element creates a clickable button.
C
<canvas>	Draws graphics, animation or charts via JavaScript (2D or WebGL); the tag is just a blank canvas filled by script.
<caption>	The table's title, must be the first child of table and is shown above it by default.
<cite>	Marks the title of a work (book, article, film, song); rendered in italics by default.
<code>	Marks a fragment of computer code, rendered in a monospace font by default.
<col>	Defines a table column, usually inside colgroup, to style or span a whole column at once.
<colgroup>	A container grouping table columns, wrapping col elements to define column styles in bulk.
D
<data>	Associates visible text with a machine-readable value, e.
<datalist>	Offers a list of suggested values for an input (with a drop-down hint) while still allowing free typing; pair with input's list attribute.
<dd>	The description/value that corresponds to a dt in a description list.
<del>	Represents text that has been deleted from the document, rendered with a strikethrough by default.
<details>	Represents a disclosure widget that can be toggled open/closed by clicking its summary.
<dfn>	Marks the defining instance of a term, usually its first occurrence in the document.
<dialog>	Represents a dialog box or modal, opened via JavaScript showModal()/show().
<div>	The `<div>` (division) element is a generic block-level container with no semantic meaning.
<dl>	A description list (term–description pairs), used for glossaries or key-value metadata.
<dt>	A term/name in a description list, usually followed by one or more dd.
E
<em>	Marks text to be emphasized, rendered in italics by default.
<embed>	A void element embedding external resources (plugins, SVG, PDF); a simplified object, largely superseded.
F
<fieldset>	Groups related form controls and shows an optional legend, improving readability and accessibility.
<figcaption>	Provides a caption for a figure; must be the first or last child of its figure element.
<figure>	Represents self-contained flow content, often with a figcaption, used for images, diagrams, code or examples.
<footer>	Represents the footer of its nearest sectioning content or root element, usually author, copyright, contact or related links.
<form>	The `<form>` element is the container for collecting and submitting user data.
<frame>	Defines one independent sub-window inside a <frameset> that loads another page.
<frameset>	Splits the browser window into multiple sub-windows (frame) laid out by rows/cols.
H
<h1>	The `<h1>` element is the level-1 heading, the most important heading on a page.
<h2>	The `<h2>` element is a level-2 heading used for major section titles, usually subordinate to <h1>.
<h3>	The `<h3>` element is a level-3 heading used below <h2> for subsections, organizing finer content structure.
<h4>	The `<h4>` element is a level-4 heading below <h3>, common in deeper document structures.
<h5>	The `<h5>` element is a level-5 heading, a deeper level in the heading hierarchy.
<h6>	The `<h6>` element is a level-6 heading, the deepest level in the heading hierarchy.
<head>	The document head holding non-visible metadata: title, charset, styles, script references, etc.
<header>	Represents introductory content or a navigation area, commonly used at the top of a page or section (site title, logo, main nav).
<hgroup>	Groups a set of headings (<h1>–<h6>), usually a title plus subtitle, so multiple headings act as one heading block.
<hr>	The `<hr>` (horizontal rule) element represents a thematic break, rendered as a horizontal line by default.
<html>	The root element of an HTML document; all other elements live inside it.
I
<i>	Renders text in italics without emphasis, often used for foreign words, technical terms, ship names, etc.
<iframe>	Embeds another web page or resource inline, a 'picture-in-picture', common for maps, video or widgets.
<img>	The `<img>` element embeds an image in the page.
<input>	The `<input>` element is the most common form control, creating various input fields.
<ins>	Represents text inserted into the document, rendered with an underline by default.
K
<kbd>	Marks text the user is expected to enter via keyboard, often used in docs or shortcut hints.
L
<label>	The `<label>` element defines a caption for a form control.
<legend>	Provides a visible caption for a fieldset; must be its first child.
<li>	The `<li>` (list item) element represents an item in a `<ul>` or `<ol>`.
<link>	Defines a relationship between the current document and an external resource, most often a CSS stylesheet but also icons or preloads.
M
<main>	Represents the dominant content of the document, unique and excluding repeated nav/sidebar/footer content.
<map>	Defines a client-side image map; child <area> elements mark clickable regions, wired up via an <img> usemap attribute.
<mark>	Highlights text with a default yellow background, like a highlighter pen; often used for keywords in search results.
<menu>	Represents a list of commands or menu items, often a toolbar or context menu; may contain <li> or <button> elements.
<meta>	Describes document metadata—charset, description, author, viewport—invisible on the page but vital for SEO and rendering.
<meter>	Shows a known measurement within a range (min–max), e.
N
<nav>	Represents a section of major navigation links, such as primary nav, breadcrumbs or pagination.
<noscript>	Shows its content when JavaScript is disabled or unsupported, for graceful degradation.
O
<object>	A generic container for embedded resources (PDF, image, Flash, SVG…) with param children and fallback content.
<ol>	The `<ol>` (ordered list) element defines a numbered list.
<optgroup>	Groups options inside a select, shown as a non-selectable group label.
<option>	A single selectable item inside select, datalist or optgroup.
<output>	Represents the result of a calculation or user action, often showing live output from a form via JavaScript; the for attribute lists the inputs used.
P
<p>	The `<p>` (paragraph) element defines a paragraph of text, one of the most commonly used content containers in HTML.
<param>	Passes parameters (e.
<picture>	Provides multiple image sources for an img, letting the browser pick the best one by viewport, resolution, etc.
<pre>	Preformatted text preserving spaces and line breaks in a monospace font; ideal for code or poetry.
<progress>	Shows task completion (e.
Q
<q>	Defines a short inline quotation; browsers automatically add quotation marks around it.
R
<rp>	Provides parentheses around ruby annotations for browsers that don't support ruby; usually ignored by modern browsers.
<rt>	The pronunciation/annotation part inside ruby, right after the annotated text.
<ruby>	Adds pronunciation/annotation (pinyin, kana) to East-Asian text; the note is given by rt, optionally wrapped by rp.
S
<s>	Renders a strikethrough for text that is no longer accurate or relevant (e.
<samp>	Marks sample output from a program or system, rendered in a monospace font by default.
<script>	Embeds or references JavaScript for interactivity; place in head or body, often at body end for faster rendering.
<section>	Represents a standalone section of content, usually with a heading.
<select>	A drop-down control that lets the user pick one or more values from a preset list, usually submitted with a form.
<slot>	Defines a 'slot' in a shadow DOM for Web Components—a placeholder where host content is projected; name enables named distribution.
<small>	Renders text in a smaller font size, commonly used for disclaimers, copyright notices, fine print.
<source>	Supplies media resources for audio, video or picture, allowing multiple variants for compatibility or responsiveness.
<span>	The `<span>` element is a generic inline container with no semantic meaning.
<strong>	Marks text of strong importance, rendered in bold by default.
<style>	Writes CSS rules inline in the document without an external file; media can limit when it applies.
<sub>	Defines subscript text shown below the baseline, used in chemical formulas (e.
<summary>	As the first child of details, it is the visible heading the user clicks to toggle the widget.
<sup>	Defines superscript text shown above the baseline, used for footnotes (e.
T
<table>	The `<table>` element displays data in tabular form.
<tbody>	The table body wrapping data rows (tr); a table may have multiple tbody for grouping.
<td>	A standard table data cell holding the content at a row/column intersection.
<template>	Declares a reusable HTML fragment that is not rendered and whose scripts do not run, until JavaScript clones and inserts it.
<textarea>	A multi-line plain-text input, ideal for comments, messages or code.
<tfoot>	The table footer block wrapping summary rows (tr), usually totals; placed after tbody but rendered below.
<th>	A table header cell identifying a row/column, bold and centered by default with accessibility semantics.
<thead>	The table header block wrapping header rows (tr), repeated on each printed page of a long table.
<time>	Represents a machine-readable date or time, helping search engines and scripts parse it precisely.
<title>	Defines the document title shown in the browser tab and search results; exactly one per document, inside head.
<tr>	A table row, made of th (header) or td (data) cells.
<track>	Specifies a text track (subtitles, captions, chapters) for audio or video, usually a .
U
<u>	Adds an underline without emphasis, often used for misspelled words or proper names needing visual distinction.
<ul>	The `<ul>` (unordered list) element defines a list of items without order, rendered with bullet points by default.
V
<var>	Marks a variable in math expressions or programming, rendered in italic monospace by default.
<video>	Embeds a video player with controls, poster image and multiple source formats.
W
<wbr>	Marks an optional word-break opportunity: the browser breaks here only if needed, without forcing a break or adding a space.
#
<!doctype>	Declares the document type so the browser knows which HTML version to use.

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HTML Tag Reference

HTML Tag Reference

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