HTML Text Formatting Elements

Text Formatting

This text is bold

This text is italic

This is superscript

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HTML Formatting Elements

In the previous chapter, you learned about HTML styling, using the HTML style attribute.

HTML also defines special elements, for defining text with a special meaning.

HTML uses elements like <b> and <i> for formatting output, like bold or italic text.

Formatting elements were designed to display special types of text:

• Bold text
• Important text
• Italic text
• Emphasized text
• Marked text
• Small text
• Deleted text
• Inserted text
• Subscripts
• Superscripts

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HTML Bold and Strong Formatting

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

Example

<p>This text is normal.</p>

<p><b>This text is bold</b>.</p>

The HTML <strong> element defines strong text, with added semantic "strong" importance.

Example

<p>This text is normal.</p>

<p><strong>This text is strong</strong>.</p>

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HTML Italic and Emphasized Formatting

The HTML <i> element defines italic text, without any extra importance.

Example

<p>This text is normal.</p>

<p><i>This text is italic</i>.</p>

The HTML <em> element defines emphasized text, with added semantic importance.

Example

<p>This text is normal.</p>

<p><em>This text is emphasized</em>.</p>

	Browsers display <strong> as <b>, and <em> as <i>. However, there is a difference in the meaning of these tags: <b> and <i> defines bold and italic text, but <strong> and <em> means that the text is "important".

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HTML Small Formatting

The HTML <small> element defines small text:

Example

<h2>HTML <small>Small</small> Formatting</h2>

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HTML Marked Formatting

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

Example

<h2>HTML <mark>Marked</mark> Formatting</h2>

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HTML Deleted Formatting

The HTML <del> element defines deleted (removed) of text.

Example

<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> red.</p>

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HTML Inserted Formatting

The HTML <ins> element defines inserted (added) text.

Example

<p>My favorite <ins>color</ins> is red.</p>

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HTML Subscript Formatting

The HTML <sub> element defines subscripted text.

Example

<p>This is _subscripted text.</p>

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HTML Superscript Formatting

The HTML <sup> element defines superscripted text.

Example

<p>This is ^{superscripted} text.</p>

HTML Text Formatting Elements

Tag	Description
<b>	Defines bold text
<em>	Defines emphasized text
<i>	Defines italic text
<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