HTML Tag Reference List

Within HTML there are many tag types you can use to create the perfect website. Below is a table of all currently used HTML tags and their descriptions. Tags that are either deprecated, no longer in use, or are new to HTML 5 are notated in the description.

Tag NameWhat the tag defines
<abbr>abbreviation
<acronym>acronym (No longer supported in HTML 5)
<address>contact information for the document author
<applet>embedded applet  (Deprecated in HTML 4.01, no longer supported in HTML 5)
<area>area inside an image-map
<article>article   (New in HTML 5)
<aside>content aside from the page content (New in HTML 5)
<audio>sound content (New in HTML 5)
<b>bold text
<base>defines the base URL/target for all relative URLs in an HTML  document
<basefont>defines the default font for text in entire document. (Deprecated in HTML 4.01, no longer supported in HTML 5)
<bdi>isolates a specific part of text that may be differently formatted from text outside it. (New in HTML 5)
<bdo>overrides the current text direction
<big>defines big text  (No longer supported in HTML 5)
<blockquote>section of text that is quoted from another source
<body>defines the body of the HTML document
<br />line break
<button>clickable button
<canvas>defines an area used to create, or draw, a graphic via a script. (New in HTML 5)
<caption>table caption
<center>centers text (Deperacated in HTML 4.01, no longer supported in HTML 5)
<cite>title of a work
<code>section of computer code
<col>column properties for each column within a <colgroup> element 
<colgroup>a group of one or more columns located within a table
<command>command button (New in HTML 5)
<datalist>a list of pre-defined options for input (New in HTML 5)
<dd>description of an item in a definition list
<del>text that has been deleted
<details>additional details that the visitor is able to either view or hide at their discretion (New in HTML 5)
<dfn>definition term
<dir>defines a directory list (Deprecated in HTML 4.01, no longer supported in HTML5)
<div>generic organizational section
<dl>definition list
<dt>a term in a definition list
<em>emphasized text 
<embed>container to insert an external (non-HTML), or non-standard object (New in HTML 5)
<fieldset>container to group related elements
<figcaption>caption for the <figure> element (New in HTML 5)
<figure>self-contained content away from the main content (New in HTML 5)
<font>font, color, and size for text (Deprecated in HTML 4.01, no longer supported in HTML 5)
<footer>footer (New in HTML 5)
<form>HTML form for used for visitor input
<frame>a window in a <frameset> (No longer supported in HTML 5)
<frameset>set of frames (No longer supported in HTML 5)
<h1> to <h6>HTML headings, listed from largest (1) to smallest (6)
<head>container for other head elements
<header>header for a document or specific section (New in HTML 5)
<hgroup>used to group the heading elements (<h1> – <h6>) (New in HTML 5)
<hr>Horizontal Rule, used to create a break or change in content
<html>root tag of an HTML document
<i>italics
<iframe>inline frame
<img />image
<input>input control
<ins>continer to define text that has been inserted
<kbd>keyboard input
<keygen>key-pair generator field (New in HTML 5)
<label>label for the <input> element
<legend>caption for <details> <fieldset>, <figure>
<li>list item
<link>defines a link to an external document, commonly used to link to style sheets
<map>defines an image-map
<mark>highlighted (marked) text (New in HTML 5)
<menu>menu, or list, of commands
<meta>metadata about the document
<meter>scalar measurement within a known range (New in HTML 5)
<nav>navigation link (New in HTML 5)
<noframes>alternate content for browsers not using frame support (No longer supported in HTML5)
<noscript>alternate content for browsers not using client-side scripting support
<object>embedded object
<ol>ordered list
<optgroup>group of options in a drop-down list
<option>option in a drop-down list
<output>result of a calculation (New in HTML 5)
<p>paragraph
<param>parameter for an object
<pre>preformatted text
<progress>progress of a task (New in HTML 5)
<q>quotation
<rp>Specifies what content to display in browsers not supporting ruby annotations (New in HTML 5)
<rt>explanation/pronunciation of characters (New in HTML 5)
<ruby>ruby annotation (New in HTML 5)
<s>text that is no longer correct
<samp>sample output (from a computer program)
<script>client-side script
<section>section (New in HTML 5)
<select>drop-down list
<small>text smaller than the default
<source>media resources for media elements such as <audio> and <video> (New in HTML 5)
<span>a section in a document
<strike>strikethrough text  (Deprecated in 4.01, no longer supported in HTML 5)
<strong>bold, or important, text
<style>style information
<sub>subscripted text
<summary>visible heading for the <details> element (New in HTML 5)
<sup>superscripted text
<table>table
<tbody>body content in a table
<td>cell in a table, table data
<textarea>multi-line text area
<tfoot>footer cell in a table
<th>header cell in a table
<thead>header cell in a table
<time>date/time (New in HTML 5)
<title>title for the HTML document
<tr>table row
<track>text tracks for media elements such as <audio> and <video> (New in HTML 5)
<u>underline
<ul>unordered list
<var>variable
<video>video or movie (New in HTML 5)
<wbr>opportunity for a line-break (New in HTML 5)

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