HTML Text Formatting
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HTML contains several elements for defining text with a special meaning.
Example
This text is bold
This text is italic
This is subscript and superscript
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HTML Formatting Elements
Formatting elements were designed to display special types of text:
<b> - Bold text
<strong> - Important text
<i> - Italic text
<em> - Emphasized text
<mark> - Marked text
<small> - Smaller text
<del> - Deleted text
<ins> - Inserted text
<sub> - Subscript text
<sup> - Superscript text
HTML <b> and <strong> Elements
The HTML <b> element defines bold text, without any extra importance.
Example
<b>This text is bold</b>
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The HTML <strong> element defines text with strong importance. The content inside is typically
displayed in bold.
Example
<strong>This text is important!</strong>
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REMOVE ADS
HTML <i> and <em> Elements
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.
Example
<i>This text is italic</i>
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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.
Example
<em>This text is emphasized</em>
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HTML <small> Element
The HTML <small> element defines smaller text:
Example
<small>This is some smaller text.</small>
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HTML <mark> Element
The HTML <mark> element defines text that should be marked or highlighted:
Example
<p>Do not forget to buy <mark>milk</mark> today.</p>
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HTML <del> Element
The HTML <del> element defines text that has been deleted from a document. Browsers will usually
strike a line through deleted text:
Example
<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> red.</p>
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REMOVE ADS
HTML <ins> Element
The HTML <ins> element defines a text that has been inserted into a document. Browsers will usually
underline inserted text:
Example
<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> <ins>red</ins>.</p>
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HTML <sub> 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 chemical
formulas, like H2O:
Example
<p>This is <sub>subscripted</sub> text.</p>
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HTML <sup> 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]:
Example
<p>This is <sup>superscripted</sup> text.</p>
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?
Exercise
Two of the following HTML elements makes the text bold, which two?
<em> and <b>
<strong> and <b>
<big> and <b>
<mark> and <b>
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HTML Text Formatting Elements
Tag Description
<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
For a complete list of all available HTML tags, visit our HTML Tag Reference.