<li>: The LI Element

Last updated: 2026-10-13

<li>The LI Element

The <li> (list item) element represents an item in a <ul> or <ol>. In ordered lists, the value attribute overrides the item's number.

Category	Lists
Content Model	Flow content
Allowed Parents	<ul>, <ol>, <menu>
Content Tag	Yes — requires closing `</li>` tag
Status	Standard

📝 Syntax

<li>List item content</li>

⚙️ Attributes

This element supports the global attributes plus the following:

Attribute	Value	Description
`value`	Number	Only valid in ordered lists; overrides the item's number.

See all global attributes → See all event attributes →

▶ Example

Edit the code below and see the live result in the playground:

▶ Try it

🌐 Browser Support

Browser	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Safari	Opera
<li>	✓ v1	✓ v12	✓ v1	✓ v1	✓ v1
Supported in all major browsers

❓ FAQ

QCan li be used standalone?

ANo. <li> may only be a child of <ul>, <ol>, or <menu>; placing it directly in the page is invalid HTML — the parser attaches an orphan li to the nearest list or drops the structure.

QWhat is the value attribute of li for?

AIt only works on li inside <ol>: <li value='5'> numbers that item as 5 and continues from there. Useful when a numbered tutorial sequence is interrupted; value has no effect on li inside <ul>.

QCan I nest another list inside li?

AYes — put the nested list inside the li (<li>Category<ul>…</ul></li>) to build multi-level menus or directory trees. Make sure the nested <ul> is fully wrapped in the li; placing it outside breaks the parent list structure.

<li> — lists tutorial

📚 Related Tutorials

HTML Lists

HTML Lists Tutorial

Learn list items.

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