HTML Tags Reference: Every Common Element by Category
The HTML elements you'll use most, grouped by purpose. Prefer semantic tags (like <nav> and <article>) over generic <div>s where you can — they improve accessibility and SEO. To tidy up markup, use the HTML formatter.
Updated 2026-07-06
Document structure
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <html> | Root of the document |
| <head> | Metadata: title, links, scripts (not shown on the page) |
| <body> | The visible content of the page |
| <title> | Page title (browser tab, search results) |
| <meta> | Metadata such as charset, viewport, and description |
| <link> | Link to an external resource, usually a stylesheet |
| <script> | Embed or reference JavaScript |
| <style> | Embed CSS in the page |
Text
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <h1>–<h6> | Headings, most to least important |
| <p> | A paragraph of text |
| <a> | A hyperlink (uses href) |
| <span> | Inline container with no meaning of its own |
| <strong> | Important text (bold by default) |
| <em> | Emphasized text (italic by default) |
| <br> | A line break |
| <hr> | A thematic break (horizontal rule) |
| <blockquote> | A block quotation |
| <code> | Inline code |
| <pre> | Preformatted text (keeps whitespace) |
Lists
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <ul> | Unordered (bulleted) list |
| <ol> | Ordered (numbered) list |
| <li> | A list item |
| <dl> | Description list (term/definition pairs) |
Links & media
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <img> | An image (uses src and alt) |
| <video> | Embedded video |
| <audio> | Embedded audio |
| <svg> | Inline vector graphics |
| <picture> | Responsive images with multiple sources |
| <iframe> | Embed another page inside this one |
Forms
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <form> | A form that collects and submits input |
| <input> | A single-line input (text, checkbox, radio, etc.) |
| <textarea> | A multi-line text input |
| <button> | A clickable button |
| <select> | A dropdown list |
| <option> | An item inside a <select> |
| <label> | A caption for a form control (improves accessibility) |
Tables
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <table> | A data table |
| <tr> | A table row |
| <td> | A table cell |
| <th> | A header cell |
| <thead> | Groups the header rows |
| <tbody> | Groups the body rows |
Semantic sectioning
| Tag | What it's for |
|---|---|
| <header> | Introductory content for a page or section |
| <nav> | A block of navigation links |
| <main> | The main content of the page (one per page) |
| <section> | A thematic grouping of content |
| <article> | Self-contained content (a post, a card) |
| <aside> | Tangential content (a sidebar) |
| <footer> | Footer for a page or section |
| <figure> | Self-contained media with an optional caption |
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