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HTML Text Formatting

HTML contains several elements for defining text with a special meaning.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p><b>This text is bold</b></p>
		<p><i>This text is italic</i></p>
		<p>This is<sub> subscript</sub> and <sup>superscript</sup></p>
		</body>
</html>

Output:

First example

HTML Formatting Elements​

Formatting elements were designed to display special types of text:

TagDescription
<b>Defines bold text
<em>Defines emphasized text
<i>Defines a part of text in an alternate voice or mood
<small>Defines smaller text
<strong>Defines important text
<sub>Defines subscripted text
<sup>Defines superscripted text
<ins>Defines inserted text
<del>Defines deleted text
<mark>Defines marked/highlighted text

<b> HTML element​

The HTML <b> element defines bold text, without any extra importance.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This text is normal.</p>
		<p><b>This text is bold.</b></p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Bold example

<strong> HTML element​

The HTML <strong> element defines text with strong importance. The content inside is typically displayed in bold.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This text is normal.</p>
		<p><strong>This text is important!</strong></p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<i> HTML element​

The HTML <i> element defines a part of text in an alternate voice or mood. The content inside is typically displayed in italic.

Tip

The <i> tag is often used to indicate a technical term, a phrase from another language, a thought, a ship name, etc.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This text is normal.</p>
		<p><i>This text is italic.</i></p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<em> HTML element​

The HTML <em> element defines emphasized text. The content inside is typically displayed in italic.

Tip

A screen reader will pronounce the words in <em> with an emphasis, using verbal stress.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This text is normal.</p>
		<p><em>This text is emphasized.</em></p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<small> HTML element​

The HTML <small> element defines smaller text:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This is some normal text.</p>
		<p><small>This is some smaller text.</small></p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<mark> HTML element​

The HTML <mark> element defines text that should be marked or highlighted:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
	<p>Do not forget to buy <mark>milk</mark> today.</p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<del> HTML element​

The HTML <del> element defines text that has been deleted from a document. Browsers will usually strike a line through deleted text:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> red.</p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<ins> HTML element​

The HTML <ins> element defines a text that has been inserted into a document. Browsers will usually underline inserted text:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> <ins>red</ins>.</p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<sub> HTML element​

The HTML <sub> element defines subscript text. Subscript text appears half a character below the normal line, and is sometimes rendered in a smaller font. Subscript text can be used for maths formulas, like log2(x):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This is <sub>subscripted</sub> text.</p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

<sup> HTML element​

The HTML <sup> element defines superscript text. Superscript text appears half a character above the normal line, and is sometimes rendered in a smaller font. Superscript text can be used for footnotes, like WWW[1]:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
	<body>
		<p>This is <sup>superscripted</sup> text.</p>
	</body>
</html>

Output:

Strong example

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