HTML element reference

This page lists all the HTML elements. They are grouped by function to help you find what you have in mind easily.

For more information about the basics of HTML elements and attributes, see the section on elements in the Introduction to HTML article.

Main root

Element Description
<html> The HTML <html> element represents the root (top-level element) of an HTML document, so it is also referred to as the root element. All other elements must be descendants of this element.

Document metadata

Metadata contains information about the page. This includes information about styles, scripts and data to help software (search engines, browsers, etc.) use and render the page. Metadata for styles and scripts may be defined in the page or link to another file that has the information. 

Element Description
<base> The HTML <base> element specifies the base URL to use for all relative URLs contained within a document. There can be only one <base> element in a document.
<head> The HTML <head> element provides general information (metadata) about the document, including its title and links to its scripts and style sheets.
<link> The HTML <link> element specifies relationships between the current document and an external resource. Possible uses for this element include defining a relational framework for navigation. This element is most used to link to style sheets.
<meta> The HTML <meta> element represents metadata that cannot be represented by other HTML meta-related elements, like <base>, <link>, <script>, <style> or <title>.
<style> The HTML <style> element contains style information for a document, or part of a document. By default, the style instructions written inside that element are expected to be CSS.
<title> The HTML <title> element defines the title of the document, shown in a browser's title bar or on the page's tab. It can only contain text, and any contained tags are ignored.

Content sectioning

Content sectioning elements allow you to organize the document content into logical pieces. Use the sectioning elements to create a broad outline for your page content, including header and footer navigation, and heading elements to identify sections of content.   

Element Description
<address> The HTML <address> element supplies contact information for its nearest <article> or <body> ancestor; in the latter case, it applies to the whole document.
<article> The HTML <article> element represents a self-contained composition in a document, page, application, or site, which is intended to be independently distributable or reusable (e.g., in syndication). Examples include: a forum post, a magazine or newspaper article, or a blog entry.
<aside> The HTML <aside> element represents a section of a document with content connected tangentially to the main content of the document (often presented as a sidebar).
<footer> The HTML <footer> element represents a footer for its nearest sectioning content or sectioning root element. A footer typically contains information about the author of the section, copyright data or links to related documents.
<h1–h6>
<header> The HTML <header> element represents a group of introductory or navigational aids. It may contain some heading elements but also other elements like a logo, a search form, and so on.
<hgroup> The HTML <hgroup> element represents a multi-level heading for a section of a document. It groups a set of <h1>–<h6> elements.
<nav> The HTML <nav> element represents a section of a page whose purpose is to provide navigation links, either within the current document or to other documents. Common examples of navigation sections are menus, tables of contents, and indexes.
<section> The HTML <section> element represents a standalone section of functionality contained within an HTML document, typically with a heading, which doesn't have a more specific semantic element to represent it.

Text content

Use HTML text content elements to organize blocks or sections of content placed between the opening <body> and closing </body> tags. Important for accessibility and SEO, these elements identify the purpose or structure of that content.     

Element Description
<blockquote> The HTML <blockquote> Element (or HTML Block Quotation Element) indicates that the enclosed text is an extended quotation. Usually, this is rendered visually by indentation (see Notes for how to change it). A URL for the source of the quotation may be given using the cite attribute, while a text representation of the source can be given using the <cite> element.
<dd> The HTML <dd> element indicates the description of a term in a description list (<dl>).
<div> The HTML <div> element is the generic container for flow content and does not inherently represent anything. Use it to group elements for purposes such as styling (using the class or id attributes), marking a section of a document in a different language (using the lang attribute), and so on.
<dl> The HTML <dl> element represents a description list. The element encloses a list of groups of terms and descriptions. Common uses for this element are to implement a glossary or to display metadata (a list of key-value pairs).
<dt> The HTML <dt> element identifies a term in a description list. This element can occur only as a child element of a <dl>. It is usually followed by a <dd> element; however, multiple <dt> elements in a row indicate several terms that are all defined by the immediate next <dd> element.
<figcaption> The HTML <figcaption> element represents a caption or a legend associated with a figure or an illustration described by the rest of the data of the <figure> element which is its immediate ancestor.
<figure> The HTML <figure> element represents self-contained content, frequently with a caption (<figcaption>), and is typically referenced as a single unit.
<hr> The HTML <hr> element represents a thematic break between paragraph-level elements (for example, a change of scene in a story, or a shift of topic with a section). In previous versions of HTML, it represented a horizontal rule. It may still be displayed as a horizontal rule in visual browsers, but is now defined in semantic terms, rather than presentational terms.
<li> The HTML <li> element is used to represent an item in a list. It must be contained in a parent element: an ordered list (<ol>), an unordered list (<ul>), or a menu (<menu>). In menus and unordered lists, list items are usually displayed using bullet points. In ordered lists, they are usually displayed with an ascending counter on the left, such as a number or letter.
<main> The HTML <main> element represents the main content of the <body> of a document or application. The main content area consists of content that is directly related to, or expands upon the central topic of, a document or the central functionality of an application.
<ol> The HTML <ol> element represents an ordered list of items, typically rendered as a numbered list.
<p> The HTML <p> element represents a paragraph of text.
<pre> The HTML <pre> element represents preformatted text. Text within this element is typically displayed in a non-proportional ("monospace") font exactly as it is laid out in the file. Whitespace inside this element is displayed as typed.
<ul> The HTML <ul> element represents an unordered list of items, typically rendered as a bulleted list.

Inline text semantics

Use the HTML inline text semantic to define the meaning, structure, or style of a word, line, or any arbitrary piece of text.

Element Description
<a> The HTML <a> element (or anchor element) creates a hyperlink to other web pages, files, locations within the same page, email addresses, or any other URL.
<abbr> The HTML <abbr> element represents an abbreviation and optionally provides a full description for it. If present, the title attribute must contain this full description and nothing else.
<b> The HTML <b> element represents a span of text stylistically different from normal text, without conveying any special importance or relevance, and that is typically rendered in boldface.
<bdi> The HTML <bdi> element (bidirectional isolation) isolates a span of text that might be formatted in a different direction from other text outside it.
<bdo> The HTML <bdo> element (bidirectional override) is used to override the current directionality of text. It causes the directionality of the characters to be ignored in favor of the specified directionality.
<br> The HTML <br> element produces a line break in text (carriage-return). It is useful for writing a poem or an address, where the division of lines is significant.
<cite> The HTML <cite> element represents a reference to a creative work. It must include the title of a work or a URL reference, which may be in an abbreviated form according to the conventions used for the addition of citation metadata.
<code> The HTML <code> element represents a fragment of computer code. By default, it is displayed in the browser's default monospace font.
<data> The HTML <data> element links a given content with a machine-readable translation. If the content is time- or date-related, the <time> element must be used.
<dfn> The HTML <dfn> element represents the defining instance of a term.
<em> The HTML <em> element marks text that has stress emphasis. The <em> element can be nested, with each level of nesting indicating a greater degree of emphasis.
<i> The HTML <i> element represents a range of text that is set off from the normal text for some reason, for example, technical terms, foreign language phrases, or fictional character thoughts. It is typically displayed in italic type.
<kbd> The HTML <kbd> element represents user input and produces an inline element displayed in the browser's default monospace font.
<mark> The HTML <mark> element represents highlighted text, i.e., a run of text marked for reference purpose, due to its relevance in a particular context.
<q> The HTML <q> element indicates that the enclosed text is a short inline quotation. This element is intended for short quotations that don't require paragraph breaks; for long quotations use the <blockquote> element.
<rp> The HTML <rp> element is used to provide fall-back parentheses for browsers that do not support display of ruby annotations using the <ruby> element.
<rt> The HTML <rt> element embraces pronunciation of characters presented in a ruby annotations, which are used to describe the pronunciation of East Asian characters. This element is always used inside a <ruby> element.
<rtc> The HTML <rtc> element embraces semantic annotations of characters presented in a ruby of <rb> elements used inside of <ruby> element. <rb> elements can have both pronunciation (<rt>) and semantic (<rtc>) annotations.
<ruby> The HTML <ruby> element represents a ruby annotation. Ruby annotations are for showing pronunciation of East Asian characters.
<s> The HTML <s> element renders text with a strikethrough, or a line through it. Use the <s> element to represent things that are no longer relevant or no longer accurate. However, <s> is not appropriate when indicating document edits; for that, use the <del> and <ins> elements, as appropriate.
<samp> The HTML <samp> element is an element intended to identify sample output from a computer program. It is usually displayed in the browser's default monotype font (such as Lucida Console).
<small> The HTML <small> element makes the text font size one size smaller (for example, from large to medium, or from small to x-small) down to the browser's minimum font size.  In HTML5, this element is repurposed to represent side-comments and small print, including copyright and legal text, independent of its styled presentation.
<span> The HTML <span> element is a generic inline container for phrasing content, which does not inherently represent anything. It can be used to group elements for styling purposes (using the class or id attributes), or because they share attribute values, such as lang.
<strong> The HTML <strong> element gives text strong importance, and is typically displayed in bold.
<sub> The HTML <sub> element defines a span of text that should be displayed, for typographic reasons, lower, and often smaller, than the main span of text.
<sup> The HTML <sup> element defines a span of text that should be displayed, for typographic reasons, higher, and often smaller, than the main span of text.
<time> The HTML <time> element represents either a time on a 24-hour clock or a precise date in the Gregorian calendar (with optional time and timezone information).
<u> The HTML <u> element renders text with an underline, a line under the baseline of its content. In HTML5, this element represents a span of text with an unarticulated, though explicitly rendered, non-textual annotation, such as labeling the text as being a proper name in Chinese text (a Chinese proper name mark), or labeling the text as being misspelled.
<var> The HTML <var> element represents a variable in a mathematical expression or a programming context.
<wbr> The HTML <wbr> element represents a word break opportunity—a position within text where the browser may optionally break a line, though its line-breaking rules would not otherwise create a break at that location.

Image and multimedia

HTML supports various multimedia resources such as images, audio, and video.

Element Description
<area> The HTML <area> element defines a hot-spot region on an image, and optionally associates it with a hypertext link. This element is used only within a <map> element.
<audio> The HTML <audio> element is used to embed sound content in documents. It may contain one or more audio sources, represented using the src attribute or the <source> element: the browser will choose the most suitable one. It can also be the destination for streamed media, using a MediaStream.
<img> The HTML <img> element represents an image in the document.
<map> The HTML <map> element is used with <area> elements to define an image map (a clickable link area).
<track> The HTML <track> element is used as a child of the media elements <audio> and <video>. It lets you specify timed text tracks (or time-based data), for example to automatically handle subtitles. The tracks are formatted in WebVTT format (.vtt files) — Web Video Text Tracks.
<video> Use the HTML <video> element to embed video content in a document.

Embedded content

In addition to regular multimedia content, HTML can include a variety of other content, even if it's not always easy to interact with.

Element Description
<embed> The HTML <embed> element represents an integration point for an external application or interactive content (in other words, a plug-in).
<object> The HTML <object> element represents an external resource, which can be treated as an image, a nested browsing context, or a resource to be handled by a plugin.
<param> The HTML <param> element defines parameters for an <object> element.
<source> The HTML <source> element specifies multiple media resources for either the <picture>, the <audio> or the <video> element. It is an empty element. It is commonly used to serve the same media content in multiple formats supported by different browsers.

Scripting

In order to create dynamic content and Web applications, HTML supports the use of scripting languages, most prominently JavaScript. Certain elements support this capability.

Element Description
<canvas> Use the HTML <canvas> element with the canvas scripting API to draw graphics and animations.
<noscript> The HTML <noscript> element defines a section of HTML to be inserted if a script type on the page is unsupported or if scripting is currently turned off in the browser.
<script> The HTML <script> element is used to embed or reference an executable script.

Demarcating edits

These elements let you provide indications that specific parts of the text have been altered.

Element Description
<del> The HTML <del> element represents a range of text that has been deleted from a document. This element is often (but need not be) rendered with strike-through text.
<ins> The HTML <ins> element represents a range of text that has been added to a document.

Table content

The elements here are used to create and handle tabular data.

Element Description
<caption> The HTML <caption> element represents the title of a table. Though it is always the first descendant of a <table>, its styling, using CSS, may place it elsewhere, relative to the table.
<col> The HTML <col> element defines a column within a table and is used for defining common semantics on all common cells. It is generally found within a <colgroup> element.
<colgroup> The HTML <colgroup> element defines a group of columns within a table.
<table> The HTML <table> element represents tabular data — that is, information expressed via a two-dimensional data table.
<tbody> The HTML <tbody> element groups one or more <tr> elements as the body of a <table> element.
<td> The HTML <td> element defines a cell of a table that contains data. It participates in the table model.
<tfoot> The HTML <tfoot> element defines a set of rows summarizing the columns of the table.
<th> The HTML <th> element defines a cell as header of a group of table cells. The exact nature of this group is defined by the scope and headers attributes.
<thead> The HTML <thead> element defines a set of rows defining the head of the columns of the table.
<tr> The HTML <tr> element defines a row of cells in a table. Those can be a mix of <td> and <th> elements.

Forms

HTML provides a number of elements which can be used together to create forms which the user can fill out and submit to the Web site or application. There's a great deal of further information about this available in the HTML forms guide.

Element Description
<button> The HTML <button> element represents a clickable button.
<datalist> The HTML <datalist> element contains a set of <option> elements that represent the values available for other controls.
<fieldset> The HTML <fieldset> element is used to group several controls as well as labels (<label>) within a web form.
<form> The HTML <form> element represents a document section that contains interactive controls to submit information to a web server.
<input> The HTML <input> element is used to create interactive controls for web-based forms in order to accept data from the user.
<label> The HTML <label> element represents a caption for an item in a user interface.
<legend> The HTML <legend> element represents a caption for the content of its parent <fieldset>.
<meter> The HTML <meter> element represents either a scalar value within a known range or a fractional value.
<optgroup> The HTML <optgroup> element creates a grouping of options within a <select> element.
<option> The HTML <option> element is used to define an item contained in a <select>, an <optgroup>, or a <datalist> element. As such, <option> can represent menu items in popups and other lists of items in an HTML document.
<output> The HTML <output> element represents the result of a calculation or user action.
<progress> The HTML <progress> element represents the completion progress of a task, typically displayed as a progress bar.
<select> The HTML <select> element represents a control that provides a menu of options:
<textarea> The HTML <textarea> element represents a multi-line plain-text editing control.

Interactive elements

HTML offers a selection of elements which help to create interactive user interface objects.

Element Description
<details> The HTML <details> element is used as a disclosure widget from which the user can retrieve additional information.
<dialog> The HTML <dialog> element represents a dialog box or other interactive component, such as an inspector or window.
<menu> The HTML <menu> element represents a group of commands that a user can perform or activate. This includes both list menus, which might appear across the top of a screen, as well as context menus, such as those that might appear underneath a button after it has been clicked.
<menuitem> The HTML <menuitem> element represents a command that a user is able to invoke through a popup menu. This includes context menus, as well as menus that might be attached to a menu button.
<summary> The HTML <summary> element is used as a summary, caption, or legend for the content of a <details> element.

Web Components

Web Components is an HTML-related technology which makes it possible to, essentially, create and use custom elements as if it were regular HTML. In addition, you can create custom versions of standard HTML elements.

Element Description
<content> The HTML <content> element—an obsolete part of the Web Components suite of technologies—was used inside of Shadow DOM as an insertion point, and wasn't meant to be used in ordinary HTML It has now been replaced by the <slot> element, which creates a point in the DOM at which a shadow DOM can be inserted.
<element> The HTML <element> element was part of Web Components; this element was intended to be used to define new custom DOM elements. It was removed in favor of a JavaScript-driven methodology for creating new custom elements; however, that technology is not mature and no browers fully implement it.
<shadow> The HTML <shadow> element—an obsolete part of the Web Components technology suite—was intended to be used as a shadow DOM insertion point. You might have used it if you have created multiple shadow roots under a shadow host. It is not useful in ordinary HTML.
<slot> The HTML <slot> element—part of the Web Components technology suite—is a placeholder inside a web component that you can fill with your own markup, which lets you create separate DOM trees and present them together.
<template> The HTML <template> element is a mechanism for holding client-side content that is not to be rendered when a page is loaded but may subsequently be instantiated during runtime using JavaScript.

Obsolete and deprecated elements

Warning: These are old HTML elements which are deprecated and should not be used. You should never use them in new projects, and should replace them in old projects as soon as you can. They are listed here for informational purposes only.

Element Description
<acronym> The HTML Acronym Element (<acronym>) allows authors to clearly indicate a sequence of characters that compose an acronym or abbreviation for a word. This element has been removed in HTML5. Use <abbr> element.
<applet> The HTML Applet Element (<applet>) identifies the inclusion of a Java applet.
<basefont> The HTML basefont element (<basefont>) establishes a default font size for a document. Font size then can be varied relative to the base font size using the <font> element.
<big> The HTML Big Element (<big>) makes the text font size one size bigger (for example, from small to medium, or from large to x-large) up to the browser's maximum font size.
<blink> The HTML Blink Element (<blink>) is a non-standard element causing the enclosed text to flash slowly.
<center> The HTML Center Element (<center>) is a block-level element that can contain paragraphs and other block-level and inline elements. The entire content of this element is centered horizontally within its containing element (typically, the <body>).
<command> The command element represents a command which the user can invoke.
<content> The HTML <content> element—an obsolete part of the Web Components suite of technologies—was used inside of Shadow DOM as an insertion point, and wasn't meant to be used in ordinary HTML It has now been replaced by the <slot> element, which creates a point in the DOM at which a shadow DOM can be inserted.
<dir> The HTML directory element (<dir>) represents a directory, namely a collection of filenames.
<element> The HTML <element> element was part of Web Components; this element was intended to be used to define new custom DOM elements. It was removed in favor of a JavaScript-driven methodology for creating new custom elements; however, that technology is not mature and no browers fully implement it.
<font> The HTML Font Element (<font>) defines the font size, color and face for its content.
<frame> <frame> is an HTML element which defines a particular area in which another HTML document can be displayed. A frame should be used within a <frameset>.
<frameset> <frameset> is an HTML element which is used to contain <frame> elements.
<isindex> <isindex> is an obsolete HTML element that puts a text field in a page for querying the document.
<keygen> The HTML <keygen> element exists to facilitate generation of key material, and submission of the public key as part of an HTML form. This mechanism is designed for use with Web-based certificate management systems. It is expected that the <keygen> element will be used in an HTML form along with other information needed to construct a certificate request, and that the result of the process will be a signed certificate.
<listing> The HTML Listing Element (<listing>) renders text between the start and end tags without interpreting the HTML in between and using a monospaced font. The HTML 2 standard recommended that lines shouldn't be broken when not greater than 132 characters.
<marquee> The HTML <marquee> element is used to insert a scrolling area of text. You can control what happens when the text reaches the edges of its content area using its attributes.
<multicol> The HTML <multicol> element was an experimental element designed to allow multi-column layouts. It never got any significant traction and is not implemented in any major browsers.
<nextid> <nextid> is an obsolete HTML element that served to enable the NeXT web designing tool to generate automatic NAME labels for its anchors.
<noembed> The <noembed> element is a deprecated and non-standard way to provide alternative, or "fallback", content for browsers that do not support the <embed> element or do not support embedded content an author wishes to use.
<plaintext> The HTML Plaintext Element (<plaintext>) renders everything following the start tag as raw text, without interpreting any HTML. There is no closing tag, since everything after it is considered raw text.
<shadow> The HTML <shadow> element—an obsolete part of the Web Components technology suite—was intended to be used as a shadow DOM insertion point. You might have used it if you have created multiple shadow roots under a shadow host. It is not useful in ordinary HTML.
<spacer> <spacer> is an obsolete HTML element which allowed insertion of empty spaces on pages. It was devised by Netscape to accomplish the same effect as a single-pixel layout image, which was something web designers used to use to add white spaces to web pages without actually using an image. However, <spacer> no longer supported by any major browser and the same effects can now be achieved using simple CSS.
<strike> The HTML <strike> element (or HTML Strikethrough Element) places a strikethrough (horizontal line) over text.
<tt> The HTML Teletype Text Element (<tt>) produces an inline element displayed in the browser's default monotype font. This element was intended to style text as it would display on a fixed width display, such as a teletype. It probably is more common to display fixed width type using the <code> element.
<xmp> The HTML Example Element (<xmp>) renders text between the start and end tags without interpreting the HTML in between and using a monospaced font. The HTML2 specification recommended that it should be rendered wide enough to allow 80 characters per line.

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