HTML Elements Reference

A comprehensive guide to HTML elements, focused on semantic correctness and universal accessibility.

Each guide explains the element's purpose according to the HTML Living Standard and provides specific WCAG 2.2 implementation patterns to ensure your content is accessible to everyone.

Root & Metadata

<html> - The root element
<head> - Document metadata container
<title> - Document title
<base> - Base URL for relative links
<link> - External resource relationship
<meta> - Metadata information
<style> - Internal CSS

Sectioning & Grouping

<body> - Document body
<article> - Independent content
<section> - Generic section
<nav> - Navigation links
<aside> - Indirectly related content
<header> - Introductory content
<footer> - Footer content
<main> - Primary content
<hgroup> - Heading group
<div> - Generic container

Text Content

Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
<p> - Paragraph
<hr> - Thematic break
<pre> - Preformatted text
<blockquote> - Extended quotation
<ol> - Ordered list
<ul> - Unordered list
<li> - List item
<dl> - Description list
<dt> - Description term
<dd> - Description details
<figure> - Self-contained content
<figcaption> - Figure caption
<div> - Generic container

Inline Text Semantics

<a> - Hyperlink
<em> - Emphasized text
<strong> - Strong importance
<small> - Side comments
<s> - Strikethrough
<abbr> - Abbreviation
<cite> - Citation
<q> - Inline quotation
<dfn> - Definition term
<code> - Computer code
<var> - Variable
<samp> - Sample output
<kbd> - Keyboard input
<sub> - Subscript
<sup> - Superscript
<i> - Idiomatic text
<b> - Stylistically offset
<u> - Unarticulated annotation
<mark> - Highlighted text
<span> - Generic inline container
<br> - Line break
<wbr> - Word break opportunity

Forms & Interactive

<form> - Form container
<label> - Input label
<input> - Input field
<button> - Clickable button
<select> - Dropdown list
<option> - Select option
<optgroup> - Option group
<textarea> - Multi-line text
<fieldset> - Grouped inputs
<legend> - Fieldset caption
<datalist> - Input suggestions
<output> - Calculation result
<progress> - Progress bar
<meter> - Scalar measurement
<details> - Disclosure widget
<summary> - Disclosure label
<dialog> - Dialog box

Tables & Data

<table> - Tabular data
<caption> - Table title
<thead> - Table header group
<tbody> - Table body group
<tfoot> - Table footer group
<tr> - Table row
<th> - Table header cell
<td> - Table data cell
<colgroup> - Column group
<col> - Column properties

Embedded & Scripting

<picture> - Responsive images
<img> - Image
<source> - Media source
<iframe> - Inline frame
<embed> - External application
<object> - External resource
<video> - Video player
<audio> - Audio player
<track> - Media track
<map> - Image map
<area> - Image map area
<canvas> - Bitmap canvas
<script> - Executable script
<noscript> - No-JS fallback
<template> - HTML template
<slot> - Component slot