HTML contains several elements for defining text with a special meaning.
Bold Text — <b> and <strong>
The <b> tag defines bold text without any extra importance. The <strong> tag defines text with strong importance, and is typically displayed as bold.
<b>This text is bold.</b>
<strong>This text is strong.</strong>💡 Tip: Always use
<strong>for important text.<b>is just visual —<strong>tells screen readers the text is important.
Italic Text — <i> and <em>
The <i> tag defines a part of text in an alternate voice or mood. The <em> tag defines emphasized text (typically displayed as italic).
<i>This text is italic.</i>
<em>This text is emphasized.</em>Small Text — <small>
The <small> tag defines smaller text:
<small>This is smaller text.</small>Deleted and Inserted Text
The <del> tag defines text that has been deleted from a document. The <ins> tag defines text that has been inserted into a document.
<p>My favorite color is <del>blue</del> <ins>red</ins>.</p>Subscript and Superscript
The <sub> tag defines subscripted text, and the <sup> tag defines superscripted text.
<p>H<sub>2</sub>O is the chemical formula for water.</p>
<p>E = mc<sup>2</sup> is Einstein's mass-energy equivalence.</p>Summary of Text Formatting Elements
| Element | Description | Visual Result |
|---|---|---|
<b> |
Bold | Bold |
<strong> |
Strong importance | Bold (semantic) |
<i> |
Alternate voice/mood | Italic |
<em> |
Emphasis | Italic (semantic) |
<mark> |
Highlighted | Highlighted |
<small> |
Smaller text | Small text |
<del> |
Deleted text | |
<ins> |
Inserted text | Underlined |
<sub> |
Subscript | Subscript |
<sup> |
Superscript | Superscript |
Knowledge Check
4 questions — test your understanding
What is the difference between <b> and <strong>?
What is the difference between <del> and <ins>?
When should you use <em> instead of <i>?
What does the <mark> element do?
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