<legend>: The LEGEND Element
Last updated: 2026-10-13
<legend>The LEGEND Element
Provides a visible caption for a fieldset; must be its first child.
| Category | Forms |
|---|---|
| Content Model | Flow content |
| Allowed Parents | Any element that accepts flow content |
| Content Tag | Yes — requires closing </legend> tag |
| Status | Standard |
📝 Syntax
<legend>Group title</legend>▶ Example
Edit the code below and see the live result in the playground:
🌐 Browser Support
| Browser |  Chrome |
 Edge |
 Firefox |
 Safari |
 Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <legend> | ✓ v1 | ✓ v12 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 |
| Supported in all major browsers | |||||
Tip： legend only appears inside fieldset, usually as the first child.
❓ FAQ
QMust legend be the first child of fieldset?
AYes, the spec requires
<legend> to be the first child of <fieldset> so the browser renders it as the caption on the group border and screen readers announce it as the group name.QCan legend be used outside fieldset?
ANo —
<legend> is only meaningful inside <fieldset>. Titles for ordinary groups belong to h2-h6 or <p>; only form-control groups use fieldset+legend.QCan the legend style be customized?
AYes, it takes normal CSS (font, color, background). There is a classic layout trick: the legend rides on the fieldset border and its margin adjusts the position; in float layouts, legend also behaves as the first floatable element (a legacy quirk).
🏷️ Related Tags
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