HTML Element Reference — By Category
Basic HTML
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <!DOCTYPE> | Define the document type |
| <html> | Defines an HTML document |
| <head> | Contains metadata/information for the document |
| <title> | Defines a title for the document |
| <body> | Defines the document's body |
| <h1> to <h6> | Defines HTML headings |
| <p> | Defines a paragraph |
| <br> | Insert a single line break |
| <hr> | Defines a thematic change in the content |
| <!--...--> | Defines a comment |
Formatting
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <acronym> | Not supported in HTML5. Use <abbr> instead. Defines an acronym |
| <abbr> | Defines an abbreviation or an acronym |
| <address> | Defines contact information for the author/owner of a document/article |
| <b> | Defines bold text |
| <bdi> | Isolates a part of text that might be formatted in a different direction from other text outside it |
| <bdo> | Overrides the current text direction |
| <big> | Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead. Defines big text |
| <blockquote> | Defines a section that is quoted from another source |
| <center> | Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead. Defines centered text |
| <cite> | Defines the title of a work |
| <code> | Defines a piece of computer code |
| <del> | Defines text that has been deleted from a document |
| <dfn> | Specifies a term that is going to be defined within the content |
| <em> | Defines emphasized text |
| <font> | Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead. Defines font, color, and size for text |
| <i> | Defines a part of text in an alternate voice or mood |
| <ins> | Defines a text that has been inserted into a document |
| <kbd> | Defines keyboard input |
| <mark> | Defines marked/highlighted text |
| <meter> | Defines a scalar measurement within a known range (a gauge) |
| <pre> | Defines preformatted text |
| <progress> | Represents the progress of a task |
| <q> | Defines a short quotation |
| <rp> | Defines what to show in browsers that do not support ruby annotations |
| <rt> | Defines an explanation/pronunciation of characters (for East Asian typography) |
| <ruby> | Defines a ruby annotation (for East Asian typography) |
| <s> | Defines text that is no longer correct |
| <samp> | Defines sample output from a computer program |
| <small> | Defines smaller text |
| <strike> | Not supported in HTML5. Use <del> or <s> instead. Defines strikethrough text |
| <strong> | Defines important text |
| <sub> | Defines subscripted text |
| <sup> | Defines superscripted text |
| <template> | Defines a container for content that should be hidden when the page loads |
| <time> | Defines a specific time (or datetime) |
| <tt> | Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead. Defines teletype text |
| <u> | Defines some text that is unarticulated and styled differently from normal text |
| <var> | Defines a variable |
| <wbr> | Defines a possible line-break |
Forms and Input
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <form> | Defines an HTML form for user input |
| <input> | Defines an input control |
| <textarea> | Defines a multiline input control (text area) |
| <button> | Defines a clickable button |
| <select> | Defines a drop-down list |
| <optgroup> | Defines a group of related options in a drop-down list |
| <option> | Defines an option in a drop-down list |
| <label> | Defines a label for an <input> element |
| <fieldset> | Groups related elements in a form |
| <legend> | Defines a caption for a <fieldset> element |
| <datalist> | Specifies a list of pre-defined options for input controls |
| <output> | Defines the result of a calculation |
Frames
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <frame> | Not supported in HTML5. Defines a window (a frame) in a frameset |
| <frameset> | Not supported in HTML5. Defines a set of frames |
| <noframes> | Not supported in HTML5. Defines an alternate content for users that do not support frames |
| <iframe> | Defines an inline frame |
Images
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <img> | Defines an image |
| <map> | Defines a client-side image map |
| <area> | Defines an area inside an image map |
| <canvas> | Used to draw graphics, on the fly, via scripting (usually JavaScript) |
| <figcaption> | Defines a caption for a <figure> element |
| <figure> | Specifies self-contained content |
| <picture> | Defines a container for multiple image resources |
| <svg> | Defines a container for SVG graphics |
Audio / Video
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <audio> | Defines sound content |
| <source> | Defines multiple media resources for media elements (<video>, <audio> and <picture>) |
| <track> | Defines text tracks for media elements (<video> and <audio>) |
| <video> | Defines a video or movie |
Links
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <a> | Defines a hyperlink |
| <link> | Defines the relationship between a document and an external resource (most used to link to style sheets) |
| <nav> | Defines navigation links |
Lists
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <ul> | Defines an unordered list |
| <ol> | Defines an ordered list |
| <li> | Defines a list item |
| <dir> | Not supported in HTML5. Use <ul> instead. Defines a directory list |
| <dl> | Defines a description list |
| <dt> | Defines a term/name in a description list |
| <dd> | Defines a description of a term/name in a description list |
Tables
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <table> | Defines a table |
| <caption> | Defines a table caption |
| <th> | Defines a header cell in a table |
| <tr> | Defines a row in a table |
| <td> | Defines a cell in a table |
| <thead> | Groups the header content in a table |
| <tbody> | Groups the body content in a table |
| <tfoot> | Groups the footer content in a table |
| <col> | Specifies column properties for each column within a <colgroup> element |
| <colgroup> | Specifies a group of one or more columns in a table for formatting |
Styles and Semantics
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <style> | Defines style information for a document |
| <div> | Defines a section in a document |
| <span> | Defines a section in a document |
| <header> | Defines a header for a document or section |
| <footer> | Defines a footer for a document or section |
| <main> | Specifies the main content of a document |
| <section> | Defines a section in a document |
| <article> | Defines an article |
| <aside> | Defines content aside from the page content |
| <details> | Defines additional details that the user can view or hide |
| <dialog> | Defines a dialog box or window |
| <summary> | Defines a visible heading for a <details> element |
| <data> | Adds a machine-readable translation of a given content |
Meta Info
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <head> | Defines information about the document |
| <meta> | Defines metadata about an HTML document |
| <base> | Specifies the base URL/target for all relative URLs in a document |
| <basefont> | Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead. Specifies a default color, size, and font for all text in a document |
Programming
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <script> | Defines a client-side script |
| <noscript> | Defines an alternate content for users that do not support client-side scripts |
| <applet> | Not supported in HTML5. Use <embed> or <object> instead. Defines an embedded applet |
| <embed> | Defines a container for an external (non-HTML) application |
| <object> | Defines an embedded object |
| <param> | Defines a parameter for an object |
