Paragraphs are wrapped in p tags and will usually make up the majority of website content.
Horizontal rule
The hr element represents a thematic break between paragraph-level elements, e.g. a scene change in a story, or a topic-shift within a section. This example from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, 1832-98, demonstrates this element.
As they walked off together, Alice heard the King say in a low voice, to the company generally, "You are all pardoned."
"Come, that's a good thing!" she said to herself, for she had felt quite unhappy at the number of executions the Queen had ordered.
They very soon came upon a Gryphon, lying fast asleep in the sun.
Pre-formatted text
The pre element represents pre-formatted text. Text within is typically displayed in a monospaced font, exactly as it is laid out in the file. The element is often used to display code fragments, plain-text e-mails or ASCII art.
w c(..)o (
\__(-) __)
/\ (
/(_)___)
w /|
| \
m m
Blockquotes
The blockquote element represents a section that is being quoted from another source.
Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
Ordered list
The ol element denotes an ordered list, and various numbering schemes are available through the CSS (including 1,2,3… a,b,c… i,ii,iii… and so on). Each item requires a surrounding <li> and </li> tag, to denote individual items within the list (as you may have guessed, li stands for list item).
This is an ordered list.
This is the second item, which contains a sub list
This is the sub list, which is also ordered.
It has two items.
This is the final item on this list.
Unordered list
The ul element denotes an unordered list (ie. a list of loose items that don’t require numbering, or a bulleted list). Again, each item requires a surrounding <li> and </li> tag, to denote individual items. Here is an example list showing the constituent parts of the British Isles:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Isle of Man
Channel Islands:
Bailiwick of Guernsey
Bailiwick of Jersey
Definition list
The dl element is for another type of list called a definition list. Instead of list items, the content of a dl consists of dt (Definition Term) and dd (Definition description) pairs. Though it may be called a “definition list”, dl can apply to other scenarios where a parent/child relationship is applicable. For example, it may be used for marking up dialogues, with each dt naming a speaker, and each dd containing his or her words.
This is a term.
This is the definition of that term, which both live in a dl.
Here is another term.
And it gets a definition too, which is this line.
Here is term that shares a definition with the term below.
Here is a defined term.
dt terms may stand on their own without an accompanying dd, but in that case they share descriptions with the next available dt. You may not have a dd without a parent dt.
Figures
Figures are usually used to refer to images:
Here, a part of a poem is marked up using figure:
When you wish to cite the source of a quote, you should do so using a figure also:
Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
The em element is used to denote text with stressed emphasis, i.e., something you’d pronounce differently. Where italicizing is required for stylistic differentiation, the i element may be preferable. Example:
You simply must try the negitoro maki!
Strong importance
The strong element is used to denote text with strong importance. Where bolding is used for stylistic differentiation, the b element may be preferable. Example:
Don’t stick nails in the electrical outlet.
Small print
The small element is used to represent disclaimers, caveats, legal restrictions, or copyrights (commonly referred to as ‘small print’). It can also be used for attributions or satisfying licensing requirements. Example:
The s element is used to represent content that is no longer accurate or relevant. When indicating document edits i.e., marking a span of text as having been removed from a document, use the del element instead. Example:
Recommended retail price: £3.99 per bottle Now selling for just £2.99 a bottle!
Citations
The cite element is used to represent the title of a work (e.g. a book, essay, poem, song, film, TV show, sculpture, painting, musical, exhibition, etc). This can be a work that is being quoted or referenced in detail (i.e. a citation), or it can just be a work that is mentioned in passing. Example:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations, December 1948. Adopted by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).
Inline quotes
The q element is used for quoting text inline. Example showing nested quotations:
John said, I saw Lucy at lunch, she told me Mary wants you to get some ice cream on your way home. I think I will get some at Ben and Jerry’s, on Gloucester Road.
Definition
The dfn element is used to highlight the first use of a term. The title attribute can be used to describe the term. Example:
Bob’s canine mother and equine father sat him down and carefully explained that he was an allopolyploid organism.
Abbreviation
The abbr element is used for any abbreviated text, whether it be acronym, initialism, or otherwise. Generally, it’s less work and useful (enough) to mark up only the first occurrence of any particular abbreviation on a page, and ignore the rest. Any text in the title attribute will appear when the user’s mouse hovers the abbreviation (although notably, this does not work in Internet Explorer for Windows). Example abbreviations:
BBC, HTML, and Staffs.
Time
The time element is used to represent either a time on a 24 hour clock, or a precise date in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, optionally with a time and a time-zone offset. Example:
Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed sovereign of each of the Commonwealth realms on and , after the death of her father, King George VI.
Code
The code element is used to represent fragments of computer code. Useful for technology-oriented sites, not so useful otherwise. Example:
When you call the activate() method on the robotSnowman object, the eyes glow.
Used in conjunction with the pre element:
function getJelly() {
echo $aDeliciousSnack;
}
Variable
The var element is used to denote a variable in a mathematical expression or programming context, but can also be used to indicate a placeholder where the contents should be replaced with your own value. Example:
If there are n pipes leading to the ice cream factory then I expect at leastn flavours of ice cream to be available for purchase!
Sample output
The samp element is used to represent (sample) output from a program or computing system. Useful for technology-oriented sites, not so useful otherwise. Example:
The computer said Too much cheese in tray two but I didn’t know what that meant.
Keyboard entry
The kbd element is used to denote user input (typically via a keyboard, although it may also be used to represent other input methods, such as voice commands). Example:
To take a screenshot on your Mac, press ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + 3.
Superscript and subscript text
The sup element represents a superscript and the sub element represents a sub. These elements must be used only to mark up typographical conventions with specific meanings, not for typographical presentation. As a guide, only use these elements if their absence would change the meaning of the content. Example:
The coordinate of the ith point is (xi, yi). For example, the 10th point has coordinate (x10, y10).
f(x, n) = log4xn
Italicised
The i element is used for text in an alternate voice or mood, or otherwise offset from the normal prose. Examples include taxonomic designations, technical terms, idiomatic phrases from another language, the name of a ship or other spans of text whose typographic presentation is typically italicised. Example:
There is a certain je ne sais quoi in the air.
Emboldened
The b element is used for text stylistically offset from normal prose without conveying extra importance, such as key words in a document abstract, product names in a review, or other spans of text whose typographic presentation is typically emboldened. Example:
You enter a small room. Your sword glows brighter. A rat scurries past the corner wall.
Marked or highlighted text
The mark element is used to represent a run of text marked or highlighted for reference purposes. When used in a quotation it indicates a highlight not originally present but added to bring the reader’s attention to that part of the text. When used in the main prose of a document, it indicates a part of the document that has been highlighted due to its relevance to the user’s current activity. Example:
I also have some kittens who are visiting me these days. They’re really cute. I think they like my garden! Maybe I should adopt a kitten.
Edits
The del element is used to represent deleted or retracted text which still must remain on the page for some reason. Meanwhile its counterpart, the ins element, is used to represent inserted text. Both del and ins have a datetime attribute which allows you to include a timestamp directly in the element. Example inserted text and usage:
Tables should be used when displaying tabular data. The thead, tfoot and tbody elements enable you to group rows within each a table.
If you use these elements, you must use every element. They should appear in this order: thead, tfoot and tbody, so that browsers can render the foot before receiving all the data. You must use these tags within the table element.