HTML elements A to Z
HTML elements A to Z: 110 terms, each with what it does and a link to its full page.
Updated
An element is one building block of a web page: a heading, a paragraph, a link, a picture. You write it as a tag in angle brackets, like <p>, and most elements wrap their content between an opening tag and a closing tag: <p>Open daily from 9 to 5.</p>.
Here is every HTML element in the glossary, A to Z. Pick a letter to jump down the list, or pick a tag to read its full page with an example.
| Term | What it does |
|---|---|
| A | |
<a> | The element that makes a link: click it to go to another page, a spot on the same page, or a file. |
<abbr> | The element for an abbreviation or acronym, optionally with its expansion in a title attribute. |
<address> | The element for contact information associated with an article or the document. |
<area> | The element that defines one clickable region and destination in an image map. |
<article> | The element for self-contained content that could be reused or distributed independently. |
<aside> | The element for content indirectly related to the surrounding content. |
<audio> | The element that embeds sound content and can provide browser playback controls. |
| B | |
<b> | The element that draws attention to text without adding importance or emphasis. |
<base> | The element that sets the base URL used to resolve relative URLs in a document. |
<bdi> | The element that isolates text whose direction may differ from its surroundings. |
<bdo> | The element that overrides the normal bidirectional ordering of its text. |
<blockquote> | The element for a section quoted from another source. |
<body> | The element that contains the document content presented as the web page. |
<br> | The element that creates a line break where the break is part of the content. |
<button> | The element for a button that can submit, reset, or perform a scripted action. |
| C | |
<canvas> | The element that provides a bitmap drawing surface normally controlled through scripting. |
<caption> | The element that provides a title or explanation for its table. |
<cite> | The element for the title of a creative work. |
<code> | The element for a fragment of computer code. |
<col> | The element that represents one or more columns within a colgroup. |
<colgroup> | The element that represents a group of columns in a table. |
| D | |
<data> | The element that pairs the words people read with a value a program can read, such as a product's name with its product code. |
<datalist> | The element that supplies suggested options to an associated input without limiting entry to those options. |
<dd> | The description in a description list: the details for the dt just before it. |
<del> | The element that marks text as taken out of a document, usually shown struck through. |
<details> | The element that contains additional information a user can reveal or hide. |
<dfn> | The element that marks the spot where a term is defined, so readers know this sentence explains it. |
<dialog> | The element that represents a dialog box or other temporary interactive component. |
<div> | A generic container for flow content when no more meaningful element fits. |
<dl> | A description list: pairs of names and their descriptions, like a glossary or a product's specs. |
<dt> | The name in a description list: the word or label that the dd after it describes. |
| E | |
<em> | The element that marks stress emphasis that can change a sentence's meaning. |
<embed> | The element that embeds external content handled by the browser or a supported plugin. |
| F | |
<fieldset> | The element that groups related form controls and labels. |
<figcaption> | The element that provides a caption for its parent figure. |
<figure> | The element that groups self-contained content that may have a caption. |
<footer> | The element for footer information belonging to its nearest section or the page. |
| H | |
<h1> | The top-level heading: the page's main title, usually used once per page. |
<h2> | A second-level heading: the title of a main section under the page's h1. |
<h3> | A third-level heading: the title of a smaller section inside an h2 section. |
<h4> | A fourth-level heading: the title of a section inside an h3 section. |
<h5> | A fifth-level heading: the title of a section inside an h4 section. Most pages never go this deep. |
<h6> | The sixth and lowest heading level: the title of a section inside an h5 section. Rarely needed. |
<head> | The element that contains document metadata rather than the page's main visible content. |
<header> | The element for introductory or navigational content belonging to a page or section. |
<hgroup> | The element that keeps a heading together with the lines that go with it, such as a subtitle or a tagline. |
<hr> | The element that represents a thematic break between groups of content. |
<html> | The root element that contains the head and body of an HTML document. |
| I | |
<i> | The element that marks text in an alternate voice or otherwise offset from normal prose. |
<iframe> | The element that embeds another HTML page as a nested browsing context. |
<img> | The element that puts a picture on the page, with alt text that describes it for anyone who can't see it. |
<input> | The element that creates a data-entry control selected by its type attribute. |
<ins> | The element that marks text as added to a document, usually shown underlined. |
| K | |
<kbd> | The element for user input, commonly keyboard input. |
| L | |
<label> | The element that provides a caption for a form control. |
<legend> | The element that captions a fieldset. |
<li> | A list item: one entry in a ul or ol list. |
<link> | The element that declares a relationship between the document and another resource. |
| M | |
<main> | The element for the document body's dominant, unique content. |
<map> | The element that defines a collection of interactive areas for an image map. |
<mark> | The element for text highlighted because it is relevant in the current context. |
<menu> | A list of commands a person can pick from, such as a toolbar's buttons. Browsers show it like a ul. |
<meta> | The element for metadata that cannot be expressed by title, base, link, style, or script. |
<meter> | The element that displays a measured value within a known range. |
| N | |
<nav> | The element for a major group of navigation links. |
<noscript> | The element that provides alternate HTML when scripting is disabled or unsupported. |
| O | |
<object> | The element that embeds an external resource and can contain fallback content. |
<ol> | An ordered list: a numbered list where the order of the items matters, like the steps of a recipe. |
<optgroup> | The element that groups related options inside a select control. |
<option> | The element representing one choice in a select control or datalist. |
<output> | The element that represents the result of a calculation or user action. |
| P | |
<p> | The element that represents a paragraph. |
<picture> | The element that offers image sources for responsive selection before a required img element. |
<pre> | The element for preformatted text whose whitespace is significant. |
<progress> | The element that displays completion progress for a task. |
| Q | |
<q> | The element for a short quotation that stays within surrounding text. |
| R | |
<rp> | The element providing fallback parentheses for browsers that do not render ruby annotations. |
<rt> | The element containing ruby pronunciation or annotation text. |
<ruby> | The element that groups base text with its ruby annotations. |
| S | |
<s> | The element for content that is no longer accurate or relevant. |
<samp> | The element for sample output from a program or computing system. |
<script> | The element that embeds or references executable code or data. |
<search> | The element for controls used to search or filter content. |
<section> | The element for a standalone thematic section that normally has a heading. |
<select> | The element that lets a user choose from a list of options. |
<slot> | The element that marks where assigned light-DOM content appears inside a shadow tree. |
<small> | The element for side comments such as copyright text or legal fine print. |
<source> | The element that supplies an alternative media or image resource for its parent. |
<span> | A generic inline container for phrasing content when no more meaningful element fits. |
<strong> | The element that marks content as strongly important, serious, or urgent. |
<sub> | The element for subscript text required by typographic convention. |
<summary> | The element that provides the visible label or summary for its parent details element. |
<sup> | The element for superscript text required by typographic convention. |
| T | |
<table> | The element that holds a table: rows and columns of data, such as a schedule or a price list. |
<tbody> | The element that groups a table's main rows. |
<td> | A table data cell: one box in a table row that holds a value. |
<template> | The element that stores inert HTML fragments for later use. |
<textarea> | The element for editing a multi-line plain-text value. |
<tfoot> | The element that groups a table's summary or footer rows. |
<th> | A table header cell: the label at the top of a column or the start of a row that says what the cells beside it hold. |
<thead> | The element that groups a table's header rows. |
<time> | The element for a date, time, duration, or machine-readable date-time value. |
<title> | The element that gives a document the title shown in browser tabs and other interfaces. |
<tr> | A table row: one line across a table, holding its header cells or its data cells. |
<track> | The element that adds timed text data, such as captions, to audio or video. |
| U | |
<u> | The element for text with a non-textual annotation, such as a spelling mark. |
<ul> | An unordered list: a bulleted list where the order of the items doesn't matter. |
| V | |
<var> | The element for a variable or placeholder in a mathematical or programming expression. |
<video> | The element that embeds video content and can provide browser playback controls. |
| W | |
<wbr> | The element that marks a place where a browser may break a line if needed. |