HTML – Tags Reference

The following is an HTML tags reference list showing all the HTML elements that can be used on web pages and HTML documents.

HTML Elements List

Tag Description Introduced
<!--...--> Defines a comment
<!DOCTYPE> Defines the document type
<a> Defines a hyperlink
<abbr> Defines an abbreviation or an acronym
<acronym> Defines an acronym. Not supported in HTML5. Use <abbr> instead
<address> Defines contact information for the author/owner of a document
<applet> Defines an embedded applet. Not supported in HTML5. Use <embed> or <object> instead
<area> Defines an area inside an image map
<article> Defines an article HTML5
<aside> Defines content aside from the page content HTML5
<audio> Defines embedded sound content HTML5
<b> Defines bold text
<base> Specifies the base URL/target for all relative URLs in a document
<basefont> Specifies a default color, size, and font for all text in a document. Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead
<bdi> Isolates a part of the text that might be formatted in a different direction from other text outside it HTML5
<bdo> Overrides the current text direction
<bgsound> Defines background music
<big> Defines big text. Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead
<blink> Defines text which blinks
<blockquote> Defines a section that is quoted from another source
<body> Defines the document’s body
<br> Defines a single line break
<button> Defines a clickable button
<canvas> Used to draw graphics, on the fly, via scripting (usually JavaScript) HTML5
<caption> Defines a table caption
<center> Defines centered text. Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead
<cite> Defines the title of a work
<code> Defines a piece of computer code
<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
<comment> Puts a comment in the document
<data> Adds a machine-readable translation of a given content
<datalist> Specifies a list of pre-defined options for input controls HTML5
<dd> Defines a description/value of a term in a description list
<del> Defines text that has been deleted from a document
<details> Defines additional details that the user can view or hide
<dfn> Specifies a term that is going to be defined within the content
<dialog> Defines a dialog box or window HTML5
<dir> Defines a directory list. Not supported in HTML5. Use <ul> instead
<div> Defines a section in a document
<dl> Defines a description list
<dt> Defines a term/name in a description list
<em> Defines emphasized text
<embed> Defines a container for an external application HTML5
<fieldset> Groups related elements in a form
<figcaption> Defines a caption for a <figure> element HTML5
<figure> Specifies self-contained content HTML5
<font> Defines font, color, and size for text. Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead
<footer> Defines a footer for a document or section HTML5
<form> Defines an HTML form for user input
<frame> Defines a window (a frame) in a frameset. Not supported in HTML5
<frameset> Defines a set of frames. Not supported in HTML5
<h1> to <h6> Defines HTML headings
<head> Contains metadata/information for the document
<header> Defines a header for a document or section HTML5
<hr> Defines a thematic change in the content
<html> Defines the root of an HTML document
<i> Defines a part of text in an alternate voice or mood
<iframe> Defines an inline frame
<img> Defines an image
<input> Defines an input control
<ins> Defines a text that has been inserted into a document
<isindex> Defines a single-line input field. Not supported in HTML5
<kbd> Defines keyboard input
<keygen> Generate key information in a form HTML5
<label> Defines a label for an <input> element
<layer> Defines a layer
<legend> Defines a caption for a <fieldset> element
<li> Defines a list item
<link> Defines the relationship between a document and an external resource (most used to link to style sheets)
<main> Specifies the main content of a document HTML5
<map> Defines an image map
<mark> Defines marked/highlighted text HTML5
<marquee> Creates a scrolling-text marquee. Not supported in HTML5
<menu> Defines a menu list. Not supported in HTML5
<menuitem> Defines a command/menu item that the user can invoke from a popup menu HTML5
<meta> Defines metadata about an HTML document
<meter> Defines a scalar measurement within a known range (a gauge)
<multicol> Defines a multicolumn text flow
<nav> Defines navigation links HTML5
<nobr> No breaks are allowed in the enclosed text
<noembed> Defines content to be presented by browsers that do not support the embed tag
<noframes> Defines alternate content for users that do not support frames. Not supported in HTML5
<noscript> Defines alternate content for users that do not support client-side scripts
<object> Defines a container for an external application
<ol> Defines an ordered list
<outgroup> Defines a group of related options in a drop-down list
<option> Defines an option in a drop-down list
<output> Defines the result of a calculation HTML5
<p> Defines a paragraph
<param> Defines a parameter for an object
<picture> Defines a container for multiple image resources
<plaintext> Render the remainder of the document as preformatted plain text. Not supported in HTML5
<pre> Defines preformatted text
<progress> Represents the progress of a task HTML5
<q> Defines a short quotation
<rp> Defines what to show in browsers that do not support ruby annotations HTML5
<rt> Defines an explanation/pronunciation of characters (for East Asian typography) HTML5
<ruby> Defines a ruby annotation (for East Asian typography) HTML5
<s> Defines text that is no longer correct
<samp> Defines sample output from a computer program
<script> Defines a client-side script
<section> Defines a section in a document HTML5
<spacer> Defines a white space
<select> Defines a drop-down list
<small> Defines smaller text
<source> Defines multiple media resources for media elements (<video> and <audio>) HTML5
<span> Defines a section in a document
<strike> Defines strikethrough text. Not supported in HTML5. Use <del> or <s> instead
<strong> Defines important text
<style> Defines style information for a document
<sub> Defines subscripted text
<summary> Defines a visible heading for a <details> element HTML5
<sup> Defines superscripted text
<svg> Defines a container for SVG graphics
<table> Defines a table
<body> Groups the body content in a table
<td> Defines a cell in a table
<template> Defines a container for content that should be hidden when the page loads
<textarea> Defines a multiline input control (text area)
<tfoot> Groups the footer content in a table
<th> Defines a header cell in a table
<thead> Groups the header content in a table
<time> Defines a specific time (or datetime) HTML5
<title> Defines a title for the document
<tr> Defines a row in a table
<track> Defines text tracks for media elements (<video> and <audio>) HTML5
<tt> Defines teletype text. Not supported in HTML5. Use CSS instead
<u> Defines some text that is unarticulated and styled differently from normal text
<ul> Defines an unordered list
<var> Defines a variable
<video> Defines embedded video content HTML5
<wbr> Defines a possible line-break within a <nobr> section
<xmp> Defines preformatted text. Not supported in HTML5