HTML and web design help
Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope
HTML overview
HTML (hypertext markup language) is a web markup language that lets you create web pages. While HTML is an easy to learn markup language, it does contain over a hundred different tags that can be learned.
Like other markup languages, HTML consists of tags that let the browser know what action to perform. For example, <b>bold text</b> tells the browser the text in the <b> and </b> is bold text. Being a markup language, HTML does not need to be compiled and required no special editor. Write HTML in any text editor or use an HTML editor designed for creating web pages.
Also, because it's your browser interpreting the HTML, a server or uploading them to the Internet is unnecessary to view HTML pages on the computer. Once familiarized with HTML tags, see where to start in HTML and web design for help with creating a web page and posting it online.
Top 10 HTML tags
Below is a listing of our suggested top 10 HTML commands we recommend learning first. Click any of these tags to get more information about that tag.
| HTML Tag | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| <a> | Create a hyperlink to help visitors get from one page to another. |
| <br> | Create a single-line break in a document. |
| <div> | Divide or section off the content on a web page. |
| <form> | Create an interactive section on a web page for visitors to submit information. |
| <h1 to h6> | Designate headings of both different sizes and importance. |
| <html> | Tell a browser that it is viewing an HTML document. |
| <img> | Designate a holding space for linked images. |
| <p> | Designate a paragraph. |
| <script> | Designate a client-side script on a web page. |
| <table> | Create a table. |
HTML commands
Below is a table with a brief overview of every HTML command. Click any of the links below or rows to get further information. The below table also lists the element Type (block or inline), the Status of "HTML5" for HTML5 tags, or "Deprecated" for tags that are deprecated.
| HTML Tag | Brief Description | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| <!-- Hide --> | Create a hidden comment in your HTML code. | ||
| <a> | Create a hyperlink to help visitors get from one page to another. | Inline | |
| <abbr> | Create an acronym or abbreviation of the selected text. | Inline | |
| <acronym> | Create an acronym for the selected text. | Inline | Deprecated |
| <address> | Create contact information of an owner or author. | Block | |
| <applet> | Embed a Java applet into HTML. | Block | Deprecated |
| <area> | Mark sections within an image map. | ||
| <article> | Describe a section of content that is both self-contained and independent. | Block | HTML5 |
| <aside> | Describe a section of content that is only partially related to the content near it. | Block | HTML5 |
| <audio> | Embed sound files into a web page. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <b> | Bold selected text. | Inline | |
| <base> | Designate the base URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for every relative URL inside of a document. | ||
| <basefont> | Designate the default font-family, font-size, and color for all text within a document. | Deprecated | |
| <bdi> | Confine text to be formatted in a different direction than other text on a web page. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <bdo> | Force text to go one way or another. | Inline | |
| <bgsound> | Embeds a sound file that plays when the page loads. | ||
| <big> | Make text larger. | Inline | Deprecated |
| <blink> | Caused a section of text to flash on and off. | Inline | Deprecated |
| <blockquote> | Denote a section of an article that is quoted from another source. | Block | |
| <body> | A section containing a web page's content, including hyperlinks, images, tables, text, etc. | ||
| <br> | Create a single-line break in a document. | Inline | |
| <button> | Create a clickable button. | Inline | |
| <canvas> | Draw graphics through a scripting language like JavaScript. | Block | HTML5 |
| <caption> | Add a title to a table. | Block | |
| <center> | Center text in HTML. | Block | Deprecated |
| <cite> | Mention any creative work. | Inline | |
| <code> | Designate that a section of text is computer code. | Inline | |
| <col> | Designate certain properties for each column. | ||
| <colgroup> | Denote a group of columns within a table. | ||
| <datalist> | Designate a list of options in the <input> element. | HTML5 | |
| <dd> | Give details about a term within a description list. | ||
| <del> | Indicate that a block of text was deleted from a web page. | Inline | |
| <details> | Create an interactive widget where content may be hidden. | Block | HTML5 |
| <dfn> | Represent the defining instance of a term. | Inline | |
| <dialog> | Create a dialog box or modal window on a web page. | ||
| <dir> | Designate a collection of file names. | Block | |
| <div> | Divide or section off the content on a web page. | Block | |
| <dl> | Contain a list of definitions and their descriptions. | Block | |
| <dt> | Designate a term within a description list. | Block | |
| <em> | Emphasize selected text. | Inline | |
| <embed> | Designate an area for interactive content (plugin) or an external application. | Block | HTML5 |
| <fieldset> | Group related elements in a form by drawing a box around them. | ||
| <figcaption> | Designate a caption for a <figure> element. | HTML5 | |
| <figure> | Designate an area of self-contained content that does not affect the main flow of the article. | Block | HTML5 |
| <footer> | Designate a footer for a document or a section of content. | HTML5 | |
| <font> | Change certain qualities of a block of text on a web page. | Inline | Deprecated |
| <form> | Create an interactive section on a web page for visitors to submit information. | Block | |
| <frame> | Designate a specific window within a <frameset> element. | Block | |
| <frameset> | Contain a set of <frame> elements. | ||
| <h1 to h6> | Designate headings of both different sizes and importance. | Block | |
| <head> | Contain specific information about a web page, (e.g., metadata). | ||
| <header> | A container for navigational or introductory items. | Block | HTML5 |
| <hr> | Denote a thematic break on a web page. | Block | |
| <html> | Tell a browser that it is viewing an HTML document. | ||
| <i> | Designate a block of text that is different from the text around it, usually written in italic font. | Inline | |
| <iframe> | Designate an inline frame, which allows the user to embed an HTML document into the current web page. | Block | |
| <img> | Designate a holding space for linked images. | Inline | |
| <input> | Create both input fields and interactive controls for web-based forms. | Inline | |
| <ins> | Indicate that a section of text was inserted into a web page. | Inline | |
| <isindex> | Designate a single-line text box for search purposes. | Deprecated | |
| <kbd> | Designate that a section of text is keyboard input. | Inline | |
| <keygen> | Designate a key-pair generator field used within <form> tags. | HTML5 | |
| <label> | Create labels for items in a user interface. | ||
| <legend> | Designate a caption for the <fieldset> element. | ||
| <li> | Designate a list item. | Block | |
| <link> | Create a link between a web page and an external resource. | Head | |
| <main> | Denote the main content of the <body> of a document that is unique to that page. | Block | |
| <map> | Used with the <area> element to designate a client-side image map on a web page. | ||
| <mark> | Highlight a section of text. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <marquee> | Designates a section of scrolling text. | Block | |
| <menu> | Designate a list of commands. | ||
| <menuitem> | Designate a command that a user can invoke via a popup menu. | ||
| <meta> | Provide metadata about a web page. | Head | |
| <meter> | Gauge with a certain range on a web page. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <nav> | Designate a block of major navigational links. | Block | HTML5 |
| <nobr> | Was used to designate that a section of text should not wrap automatically. | Deprecated | |
| <noframes> | Backup tag for browsers that did not support the <frame> element. | ||
| <noscript> | Designate a section of HTML to be inserted if scripting is turned off in the browser. | Block | |
| <object> | Designate an object embedded into a web page. | Block | |
| <ol> | Designate an ordered list. | Block | |
| <optgroup> | Group together related options within a <datalist> or <select> element. | ||
| <option> | Designate an item in the <optgroup>, <datalist>, or <select> elements. | ||
| <output> | Represent the result of a user's action or a calculation. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <p> | Designate a paragraph. | Block | |
| <param> | Designate parameters for plugins embedded into a web page using an <object> element. | ||
| <pre> | Designate preformatted text. | Block | |
| <progress> | Show how far a task has progressed. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <q> | Designate that the enclosed text is a short quotation. | Inline | |
| <rp> | Designate parenthesis that shows what to display in browsers that do not support Ruby annotations. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <rt> | Designate the pronunciation of an East Asian word or character. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <ruby> | Designate a ruby annotation on a web page. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <s> | Create a strikethrough on a section of text. | Inline | |
| <samp> | Designate sample output from a computer. | Inline | |
| <script> | Designate a client-side script on a web page. | Inline | |
| <section> | Group thematically similar content together. | Block | |
| <select> | Designate a control that presents a drop-down menu of options. | Inline | |
| <small> | Designate text that is one font size smaller, down to a browser's minimum. | Inline | |
| <source> | Designate additional media resources for the <video> and <audio> elements. | ||
| <span> | Used as an inline container for grouping or phrasing content. | Inline | |
| <strike> | Draw a strikethrough on a section of text. | Inline | Deprecated |
| <strong> | Designate a section of text with strong importance. | Inline | |
| <style> | Change the appearance and position of various elements on a web page. | Head | |
| <sub> | Designate subscript text. | Inline | |
| <summary> | Designate a heading for a <details> element. | ||
| <sup> | Designate superscript text. | Inline | |
| <table> | Create a table. | Block | |
| <tbody> | Designate the section of a table containing the data cells. | Table | |
| <td> | Designate a cell within a table. | Table | |
| <textarea> | Designate a plain-text editing control containing multiple lines. | Inline | |
| <tfoot> | Designate a set of rows that summarize the columns on a table. | Table | |
| <th> | Designate a cell that is a header for a group of cells within a table. | Table | |
| <thead> | Designate a set of rows defining the head of the columns on a table. | Table | |
| <time> | Designate a date and time that are readable by human beings. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <title> | Designate the title of the page. | Head | |
| <tr> | Designate a row of cells in a table. | Table | |
| <track> | Designate text tracks for both the <audio> and <video> tags. | HTML5 | |
| <tt> | Designate inline teletype text. | Inline | |
| <u> | Designate a section of text that should be underlined. | Inline | |
| <ul> | Designate an unordered list. | Block | |
| <var> | Designate a variable. | Inline | |
| <video> | Embed video content into a web page. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <wbr> | Gives the browser an option to break a line in a block of text. | Inline | HTML5 |
| <xmp> | Designate that text was an HTML example. | Deprecated |