HTML tag list
This list is arranged for fast scanning while editing a page. Start with document structure, then add semantic content, media, forms and tables where they fit the content.
| HTML code | Purpose | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
<!DOCTYPE html> | Document declaration | Tells the browser to render the page as modern HTML. |
<html> | Root element | Wraps the complete HTML document and can define the page language. |
<head> | Metadata container | Holds the title, meta description, canonical URL, CSS links and scripts. |
<title> | Page title | Shown in browser tabs and used as an important search result signal. |
<meta> | Metadata | Defines character encoding, viewport behavior, descriptions and social sharing data. |
<link> | External resource | Connects stylesheets, icons, canonical URLs and alternate language versions. |
<body> | Visible page body | Contains the content people and search engines read. |
<header> | Introductory content | Groups the logo, page heading or primary navigation. |
<nav> | Navigation | Marks a group of important site or page links. |
<main> | Main content | Identifies the unique central content of the page. |
<section> | Section | Groups related content with its own heading. |
<article> | Article | Represents a self-contained article, guide, listing or post. |
<aside> | Complementary content | Holds related links, notes, sidebars or supporting references. |
<footer> | Footer | Contains closing navigation, copyright and related information. |
<h1> to <h6> | Headings | Create a meaningful document outline from the main title down to subsections. |
<p> | Paragraph | Wraps blocks of text. |
<a> | Anchor link | Links to another page, file, email address or page fragment. |
<img> | Image | Embeds an image and should include useful alternative text when meaningful. |
<ul> | Unordered list | Creates a bulleted list. |
<ol> | Ordered list | Creates a numbered list. |
<li> | List item | Represents one item inside a list. |
<table> | Table | Displays structured rows and columns of data. |
<thead> | Table head | Groups header rows in a table. |
<tbody> | Table body | Groups the main rows in a table. |
<tr> | Table row | Creates a row in a table. |
<th> | Table header cell | Labels a row or column. |
<td> | Table data cell | Contains one table value. |
<form> | Form | Collects user input for submission or client-side processing. |
<label> | Label | Names a form control and improves accessibility. |
<input> | Input control | Creates text, email, checkbox, radio, file and many other controls. |
<textarea> | Multiline input | Accepts longer free-form text. |
<select> | Select menu | Lets a user choose from predefined options. |
<button> | Button | Triggers a form action or scripted behavior. |
<strong> | Strong importance | Marks important text. |
<em> | Emphasis | Marks emphasized text. |
<code> | Code | Represents code, file names, tags or commands. |
<pre> | Preformatted text | Preserves whitespace for code blocks or fixed-width text. |
<blockquote> | Quotation | Marks a longer quoted passage. |
<figure> | Figure | Groups media, code or diagrams with an optional caption. |
<figcaption> | Caption | Provides a caption for a figure. |
<script> | Script | Loads or embeds JavaScript. |
<style> | Embedded CSS | Adds CSS directly in a document. |
<noscript> | No-script fallback | Shows content when scripts are unavailable. |