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Metadata in HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/HTML_text_fundamentals">HTML text fundamentals</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Creating_hyperlinks">Creating hyperlinks</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Advanced_text_formatting">Advanced text formatting</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Document_and_website_structure">Document and website structure</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Debugging_HTML">Debugging HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Marking_up_a_letter">Assessment: Marking up a letter</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Structuring_a_page_of_content">Assessment: Structuring a page of content</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Multimedia and embedding</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding">Multimedia and embedding overview</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Images_in_HTML">Images in HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Video_and_audio_content">Video and audio content</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Other_embedding_technologies">From object to iframe — other embedding technologies</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Adding_vector_graphics_to_the_Web">Adding vector graphics to the web</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Responsive_images">Responsive images</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Mozilla_splash_page">Assessment: Mozilla splash page</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>HTML tables</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables">HTML tables overview</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Basics">HTML table basics</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Advanced">HTML table advanced features and accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Structuring_planet_data">Assessment: Structuring planet data</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="section"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference">References</a></li> <li class="toggle"> <details open=""> <summary>HTML elements</summary> <ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a"><code><a></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr"><code><abbr></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/acronym"><code><acronym></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/address"><code><address></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/area"><code><area></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/article"><code><article></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/aside"><code><aside></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio"><code><audio></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/b"><code><b></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/base"><code><base></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/bdi"><code><bdi></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/bdo"><code><bdo></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/big"><code><big></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/blockquote"><code><blockquote></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/body"><code><body></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/br"><code><br></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/button"><code><button></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/canvas"><code><canvas></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/caption"><code><caption></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/center"><code><center></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/cite"><code><cite></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/code"><code><code></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/col"><code><col></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/colgroup"><code><colgroup></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/data"><code><data></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/datalist"><code><datalist></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd"><code><dd></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/del"><code><del></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/details"><code><details></code></a></li><li><em><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn" aria-current="page"><code><dfn></code></a></em></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dialog"><code><dialog></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dir"><code><dir></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/div"><code><div></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dl"><code><dl></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt"><code><dt></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/em"><code><em></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/embed"><code><embed></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/fencedframe"><code><fencedframe></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-experimental" title="Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future."> <span class="visually-hidden">Experimental</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/fieldset"><code><fieldset></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/figcaption"><code><figcaption></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/figure"><code><figure></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/font"><code><font></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/footer"><code><footer></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/form"><code><form></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/frame"><code><frame></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/frameset"><code><frameset></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/Heading_Elements"><code><h1></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/head"><code><head></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/header"><code><header></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/hgroup"><code><hgroup></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/hr"><code><hr></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/html"><code><html></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/i"><code><i></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/iframe"><code><iframe></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/img"><code><img></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input"><code><input></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ins"><code><ins></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/kbd"><code><kbd></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/label"><code><label></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/legend"><code><legend></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/li"><code><li></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/link"><code><link></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/main"><code><main></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/map"><code><map></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/mark"><code><mark></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/marquee"><code><marquee></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/menu"><code><menu></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/meta"><code><meta></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/meter"><code><meter></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/nav"><code><nav></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/nobr"><code><nobr></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noembed"><code><noembed></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noframes"><code><noframes></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript"><code><noscript></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/object"><code><object></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ol"><code><ol></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/optgroup"><code><optgroup></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/option"><code><option></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/output"><code><output></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/p"><code><p></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/param"><code><param></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/picture"><code><picture></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/plaintext"><code><plaintext></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/portal"><code><portal></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-experimental" title="Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future."> <span class="visually-hidden">Experimental</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/pre"><code><pre></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/progress"><code><progress></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/q"><code><q></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rb"><code><rb></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rp"><code><rp></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rt"><code><rt></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rtc"><code><rtc></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ruby"><code><ruby></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/s"><code><s></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/samp"><code><samp></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script"><code><script></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/search"><code><search></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section"><code><section></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/select"><code><select></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/slot"><code><slot></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/small"><code><small></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/source"><code><source></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/span"><code><span></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/strike"><code><strike></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/strong"><code><strong></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/style"><code><style></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/sub"><code><sub></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/summary"><code><summary></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/sup"><code><sup></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/table"><code><table></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tbody"><code><tbody></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/td"><code><td></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/template"><code><template></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/textarea"><code><textarea></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tfoot"><code><tfoot></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/th"><code><th></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/thead"><code><thead></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/time"><code><time></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/title"><code><title></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tr"><code><tr></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/track"><code><track></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tt"><code><tt></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/u"><code><u></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ul"><code><ul></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/var"><code><var></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/video"><code><video></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/wbr"><code><wbr></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/xmp"><code><xmp></code></a><abbr class="icon icon-deprecated" title="Deprecated. Not for use in new websites."> <span class="visually-hidden">Deprecated</span> </abbr></li></ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Global attributes</summary> <ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/accesskey"><code>accesskey</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/anchor"><code>anchor</code></a><abbr class="icon icon-experimental" title="Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future."> <span class="visually-hidden">Experimental</span> </abbr><abbr class="icon icon-nonstandard" title="Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using."> <span class="visually-hidden">Non-standard</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autocapitalize"><code>autocapitalize</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autocorrect"><code>autocorrect</code></a><abbr class="icon icon-experimental" title="Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future."> <span class="visually-hidden">Experimental</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autofocus"><code>autofocus</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/class"><code>class</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/contenteditable"><code>contenteditable</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/data-*"><code>data-*</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/dir"><code>dir</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/draggable"><code>draggable</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/enterkeyhint"><code>enterkeyhint</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/exportparts"><code>exportparts</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/hidden"><code>hidden</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id"><code>id</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/inert"><code>inert</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/inputmode"><code>inputmode</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/is"><code>is</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemid"><code>itemid</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemprop"><code>itemprop</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemref"><code>itemref</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemscope"><code>itemscope</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemtype"><code>itemtype</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/lang"><code>lang</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/nonce"><code>nonce</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/part"><code>part</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/popover"><code>popover</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/slot"><code>slot</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/spellcheck"><code>spellcheck</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/style"><code>style</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/tabindex"><code>tabindex</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title"><code>title</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/translate"><code>translate</code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/virtualkeyboardpolicy"><code>virtualkeyboardpolicy</code></a><abbr class="icon icon-experimental" title="Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future."> <span class="visually-hidden">Experimental</span> </abbr></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/writingsuggestions"><code>writingsuggestions</code></a></li></ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Attributes</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/accept">accept</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/autocomplete">autocomplete</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/capture">capture</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/crossorigin">crossorigin</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/dirname">dirname</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/disabled">disabled</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/elementtiming">elementtiming</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/for">for</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/max">max</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/maxlength">maxlength</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/min">min</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/minlength">minlength</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/multiple">multiple</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/pattern">pattern</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/placeholder">placeholder</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/readonly">readonly</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/rel">rel</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/required">required</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/size">size</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/step">step</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary><code><input></code> types</summary> <ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/button"><code><input type="button"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/checkbox"><code><input type="checkbox"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/color"><code><input type="color"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/date"><code><input type="date"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/datetime-local"><code><input type="datetime-local"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/email"><code><input type="email"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/file"><code><input type="file"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/hidden"><code><input type="hidden"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/image"><code><input type="image"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/month"><code><input type="month"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/number"><code><input type="number"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/password"><code><input type="password"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/radio"><code><input type="radio"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/range"><code><input type="range"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/reset"><code><input type="reset"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/search"><code><input type="search"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/submit"><code><input type="submit"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/tel"><code><input type="tel"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/text"><code><input type="text"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/time"><code><input type="time"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/url"><code><input type="url"></code></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/week"><code><input type="week"></code></a></li></ol> </details> </li> <li class="section no-link">Guides</li> <li> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories">Content categories</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Glossary/Block-level_content">Block-level elements</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Glossary/Inline-level_content">Inline elements</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Quirks_Mode_and_Standards_Mode">Quirks Mode and Standards Mode</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Date_and_time_formats">Date and time formats used in HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Constraint_validation">Constraint validation</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Microdata">Microdata</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/microformats">Microformats</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Viewport_meta_tag">Viewport meta tag</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/CORS_enabled_image">Allowing cross-origin use of images and canvas</a></li> </ol> </li> </ol> </div></div><section class="place side"></section></nav></aside><div class="toc-container"><aside class="toc"><nav><div class="document-toc-container"><section class="document-toc"><header><h2 class="document-toc-heading">In this article</h2></header><ul class="document-toc-list"><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#try_it">Try it</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#attributes">Attributes</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#usage_notes">Usage notes</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#examples">Examples</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#technical_summary">Technical summary</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#specifications">Specifications</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#see_also">See also</a></li></ul></section></div></nav></aside><section class="place side"></section></div></div><main id="content" class="main-content "><article class="main-page-content" lang="en-US"><header><h1><dfn>: The Definition element</h1><details class="baseline-indicator high"><summary><span class="indicator" role="img" aria-label="Baseline Check"></span><h2>Baseline <span class="not-bold">Widely available</span></h2><div class="browsers"><span class="engine" title="Supported in Chrome and Edge"><span class="browser chrome supported" role="img" aria-label="Chrome check"></span><span class="browser edge supported" role="img" aria-label="Edge check"></span></span><span class="engine" title="Supported in Firefox"><span class="browser firefox supported" role="img" aria-label="Firefox check"></span></span><span class="engine" title="Supported in Safari"><span class="browser safari supported" role="img" aria-label="Safari check"></span></span></div><span class="icon icon-chevron "></span></summary><div class="extra"><p>This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.</p><ul><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Glossary/Baseline/Compatibility" data-glean="baseline_link_learn_more" target="_blank" class="learn-more">Learn more</a></li><li><a href="#browser_compatibility" data-glean="baseline_link_bcd_table">See full compatibility</a></li><li><a href="https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7634825/MDN-baseline-feedback?page=%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FWeb%2FHTML%2FElement%2Fdfn&level=high" data-glean="baseline_link_feedback" class="feedback-link" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Report feedback</a></li></ul></div></details></header><div class="section-content"><p>The <strong><code><dfn></code></strong> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML">HTML</a> element indicates a term to be defined. The <code><dfn></code> element should be used in a complete definition statement, where the full definition of the term can be one of the following:</p> <ul> <li>The ancestor paragraph (a block of text, sometimes marked by a <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/p"><code><p></code></a> element)</li> <li>The <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt"><code><dt></code></a>/<a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd"><code><dd></code></a> pairing</li> <li>The nearest <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#sectioning_content">section</a> ancestor of the <code><dfn></code> element,</li> </ul></div><section aria-labelledby="try_it"><h2 id="try_it"><a href="#try_it">Try it</a></h2><div class="section-content"><iframe class="interactive is-tabbed-shorter-height" height="200" src="https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/pages/tabbed/dfn.html" title="MDN Web Docs Interactive Example" allow="clipboard-write" loading="lazy"></iframe></div></section><section aria-labelledby="attributes"><h2 id="attributes"><a href="#attributes">Attributes</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>This element's attributes include the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes">global attributes</a>.</p> <p>The <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title"><code>title</code></a> attribute has special meaning, as noted below.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="usage_notes"><h2 id="usage_notes"><a href="#usage_notes">Usage notes</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>There are some not-entirely-obvious aspects to using the <code><dfn></code> element. We examine those here.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="specifying_the_term_being_defined"><h3 id="specifying_the_term_being_defined"><a href="#specifying_the_term_being_defined">Specifying the term being defined</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>The term being defined is identified following these rules:</p> <ol> <li>If the <code><dfn></code> element has a <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title"><code>title</code></a> attribute, the value of the <code>title</code> attribute is considered to be the term being defined. The element must still have text within it, but that text may be an abbreviation (perhaps using <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr"><code><abbr></code></a>) or another form of the term.</li> <li>If the <code><dfn></code> contains a single child element and does not have any text content of its own, and the child element is an <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr"><code><abbr></code></a> element with a <code>title</code> attribute itself, then the exact value of the <code><abbr></code> element's <code>title</code> is the term being defined.</li> <li>Otherwise, the text content of the <code><dfn></code> element is the term being defined. This is shown <a href="#basic_identification_of_a_term">in the first example below</a>.</li> </ol> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> If the <code><dfn></code> element has a <code>title</code> attribute, it <em>must</em> contain the term being defined and no other text.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="links_to_dfn_elements"><h3 id="links_to_dfn_elements"><a href="#links_to_dfn_elements">Links to <code><dfn></code> elements</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>If you include an <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id"><code>id</code></a> attribute on the <code><dfn></code> element, you can then link to it using <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a"><code><a></code></a> elements. Such links should be uses of the term, with the intent being that the reader can quickly navigate to the term's definition if they're not already aware of it, by clicking on the term's link.</p> <p>This is shown in the example under <a href="#links_to_definitions">Links to definitions</a> below.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="examples"><h2 id="examples"><a href="#examples">Examples</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>Let's take a look at some examples of various usage scenarios.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="basic_identification_of_a_term"><h3 id="basic_identification_of_a_term"><a href="#basic_identification_of_a_term">Basic identification of a term</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>This example uses a plain <code><dfn></code> element to identify the location of a term within the definition.</p> <h4 id="html">HTML</h4> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><p> The <strong>HTML Definition element (<dfn>&lt;dfn&gt;</dfn>)</strong> is used to indicate the term being defined within the context of a definition phrase or sentence. </p> </code></pre></div> <p>Since the <code><dfn></code> element has no <code>title</code>, the text contents of the <code><dfn></code> element itself are used as the term being defined.</p> <h4 id="result">Result</h4><div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"></div><iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="Basic identification of a term sample" id="frame_basic_identification_of_a_term" width="650" height="120" src="about:blank" data-live-path="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn" data-live-id="basic_identification_of_a_term" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts" loading="lazy"></iframe></div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="links_to_definitions"><h3 id="links_to_definitions"><a href="#links_to_definitions">Links to definitions</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>To add links to the definitions, you create the link the same way you always do, with the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a"><code><a></code></a> element.</p> <h4 id="html_2">HTML</h4> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><p> The <strong>HTML Definition element (<dfn id="definition-dfn">&lt;dfn&gt;</dfn>)</strong> is used to indicate the term being defined within the context of a definition phrase or sentence. </p> <p> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Graece donan, Latine voluptatem vocant. Confecta res esset. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Scrupulum, inquam, abeunti; </p> <p> Because of all of that, we decided to use the <code><a href="#definition-dfn">&lt;dfn&gt;</a></code> element for this project. </p> </code></pre></div> <p>Here we see the definition — now with an <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id"><code>id</code></a> attribute, <code>"definition-dfn"</code>, which can be used as the target of a link. Later on, a link is created using <code><a></code> with the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a#href"><code>href</code></a> attribute set to <code>"#definition-dfn"</code> to set up the link back to the definition.</p> <h4 id="result_2">Result</h4><div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"></div><iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="Links to definitions sample" id="frame_links_to_definitions" width="650" height="300" src="about:blank" data-live-path="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn" data-live-id="links_to_definitions" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts" loading="lazy"></iframe></div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together"><h3 id="using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together"><a href="#using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together">Using abbreviations and definitions together</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>In some cases, you may wish to use an abbreviation for a term when defining it. This can be done by using the <code><dfn></code> and <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr"><code><abbr></code></a> elements in tandem, like this:</p> <h4 id="html_3">HTML</h4> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><p> The <dfn><abbr title="Hubble Space Telescope">HST</abbr></dfn> is among the most productive scientific instruments ever constructed. It has been in orbit for over 20 years, scanning the sky and returning data and photographs of unprecedented quality and detail. </p> <p> Indeed, the <abbr title="Hubble Space Telescope">HST</abbr> has arguably done more to advance science than any device ever built. </p> </code></pre></div> <p>Note the <code><abbr></code> element nested inside the <code><dfn></code>. The former establishes that the term is an abbreviation ("HST") and specifies the full term ("Hubble Space Telescope") in its <code>title</code> attribute. The latter indicates that the abbreviated term represents a term being defined.</p> <h4 id="result_3">Result</h4><div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"></div><iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="Using abbreviations and definitions together sample" id="frame_using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together" width="650" height="200" src="about:blank" data-live-path="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn" data-live-id="using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts" loading="lazy"></iframe></div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="technical_summary"><h2 id="technical_summary"><a href="#technical_summary">Technical summary</a></h2><div class="section-content"><figure class="table-container"><table class="properties"> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories">Content categories</a></th> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#flow_content">Flow content</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content">phrasing content</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#palpable_content">palpable content</a>. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted content</th> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content">Phrasing content</a>, but no <code><dfn></code> element must be a descendant. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Tag omission</th> <td>None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted parents</th> <td> Any element that accepts <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content">phrasing content</a>. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Implicit ARIA role</th> <td><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/term_role"><code>term</code></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted ARIA roles</th> <td>Any</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">DOM interface</th> <td><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLElement"><code>HTMLElement</code></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table></figure></div></section><h2 id="specifications"><a href="#specifications">Specifications</a></h2><table class="standard-table"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Specification</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/text-level-semantics.html#the-dfn-element">HTML Standard <br/><small># the-dfn-element</small></a></td></tr></tbody></table><h2 id="browser_compatibility"><a href="#browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</a></h2><p>BCD tables only load in the browser<noscript> with JavaScript enabled. Enable JavaScript to view data.</noscript></p><section aria-labelledby="see_also"><h2 id="see_also"><a href="#see_also">See also</a></h2><div class="section-content"><ul> <li>Elements related to definition lists: <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dl"><code><dl></code></a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt"><code><dt></code></a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd"><code><dd></code></a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr"><code><abbr></code></a></li> </ul></div></section></article><aside class="article-footer"><div class="article-footer-inner"><div class="svg-container"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="162" height="162" viewBox="0 0 162 162" fill="none" role="none"><mask id="b" fill="#fff"><path d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 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Metadata in HTML</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/HTML_text_fundamentals\">HTML text fundamentals</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Creating_hyperlinks\">Creating hyperlinks</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Advanced_text_formatting\">Advanced text formatting</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Document_and_website_structure\">Document and website structure</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Debugging_HTML\">Debugging HTML</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Marking_up_a_letter\">Assessment: Marking up a letter</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML/Structuring_a_page_of_content\">Assessment: Structuring a page of content</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Multimedia and embedding</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding\">Multimedia and embedding overview</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Images_in_HTML\">Images in HTML</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Video_and_audio_content\">Video and audio content</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Other_embedding_technologies\">From object to iframe — other embedding technologies</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Adding_vector_graphics_to_the_Web\">Adding vector graphics to the web</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Responsive_images\">Responsive images</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimedia_and_embedding/Mozilla_splash_page\">Assessment: Mozilla splash page</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>HTML tables</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables\">HTML tables overview</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Basics\">HTML table basics</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Advanced\">HTML table advanced features and accessibility</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Tables/Structuring_planet_data\">Assessment: Structuring planet data</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"section\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference\">References</a></li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details open=\"\">\n <summary>HTML elements</summary>\n <ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a\"><code><a></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr\"><code><abbr></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/acronym\"><code><acronym></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/address\"><code><address></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/area\"><code><area></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/article\"><code><article></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/aside\"><code><aside></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio\"><code><audio></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/b\"><code><b></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/base\"><code><base></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/bdi\"><code><bdi></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/bdo\"><code><bdo></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/big\"><code><big></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/blockquote\"><code><blockquote></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/body\"><code><body></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/br\"><code><br></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/button\"><code><button></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/canvas\"><code><canvas></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/caption\"><code><caption></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/center\"><code><center></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/cite\"><code><cite></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/code\"><code><code></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/col\"><code><col></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/colgroup\"><code><colgroup></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/data\"><code><data></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/datalist\"><code><datalist></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd\"><code><dd></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/del\"><code><del></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/details\"><code><details></code></a></li><li><em><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn\" aria-current=\"page\"><code><dfn></code></a></em></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dialog\"><code><dialog></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dir\"><code><dir></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/div\"><code><div></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dl\"><code><dl></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt\"><code><dt></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/em\"><code><em></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/embed\"><code><embed></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/fencedframe\"><code><fencedframe></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-experimental\" title=\"Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Experimental</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/fieldset\"><code><fieldset></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/figcaption\"><code><figcaption></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/figure\"><code><figure></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/font\"><code><font></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/footer\"><code><footer></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/form\"><code><form></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/frame\"><code><frame></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/frameset\"><code><frameset></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/Heading_Elements\"><code><h1></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/head\"><code><head></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/header\"><code><header></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/hgroup\"><code><hgroup></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/hr\"><code><hr></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/html\"><code><html></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/i\"><code><i></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/iframe\"><code><iframe></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/img\"><code><img></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input\"><code><input></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ins\"><code><ins></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/kbd\"><code><kbd></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/label\"><code><label></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/legend\"><code><legend></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/li\"><code><li></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/link\"><code><link></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/main\"><code><main></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/map\"><code><map></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/mark\"><code><mark></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/marquee\"><code><marquee></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/menu\"><code><menu></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/meta\"><code><meta></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/meter\"><code><meter></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/nav\"><code><nav></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/nobr\"><code><nobr></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noembed\"><code><noembed></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noframes\"><code><noframes></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript\"><code><noscript></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/object\"><code><object></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ol\"><code><ol></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/optgroup\"><code><optgroup></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/option\"><code><option></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/output\"><code><output></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/p\"><code><p></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/param\"><code><param></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/picture\"><code><picture></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/plaintext\"><code><plaintext></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/portal\"><code><portal></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-experimental\" title=\"Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Experimental</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/pre\"><code><pre></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/progress\"><code><progress></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/q\"><code><q></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rb\"><code><rb></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rp\"><code><rp></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rt\"><code><rt></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/rtc\"><code><rtc></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ruby\"><code><ruby></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/s\"><code><s></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/samp\"><code><samp></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script\"><code><script></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/search\"><code><search></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section\"><code><section></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/select\"><code><select></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/slot\"><code><slot></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/small\"><code><small></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/source\"><code><source></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/span\"><code><span></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/strike\"><code><strike></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/strong\"><code><strong></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/style\"><code><style></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/sub\"><code><sub></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/summary\"><code><summary></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/sup\"><code><sup></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/table\"><code><table></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tbody\"><code><tbody></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/td\"><code><td></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/template\"><code><template></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/textarea\"><code><textarea></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tfoot\"><code><tfoot></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/th\"><code><th></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/thead\"><code><thead></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/time\"><code><time></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/title\"><code><title></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tr\"><code><tr></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/track\"><code><track></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/tt\"><code><tt></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/u\"><code><u></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/ul\"><code><ul></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/var\"><code><var></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/video\"><code><video></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/wbr\"><code><wbr></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/xmp\"><code><xmp></code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-deprecated\" title=\"Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Deprecated</span>\n</abbr></li></ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Global attributes</summary>\n <ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/accesskey\"><code>accesskey</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/anchor\"><code>anchor</code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-experimental\" title=\"Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Experimental</span>\n</abbr><abbr class=\"icon icon-nonstandard\" title=\"Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Non-standard</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autocapitalize\"><code>autocapitalize</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autocorrect\"><code>autocorrect</code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-experimental\" title=\"Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Experimental</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/autofocus\"><code>autofocus</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/class\"><code>class</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/contenteditable\"><code>contenteditable</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/data-*\"><code>data-*</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/dir\"><code>dir</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/draggable\"><code>draggable</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/enterkeyhint\"><code>enterkeyhint</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/exportparts\"><code>exportparts</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/hidden\"><code>hidden</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id\"><code>id</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/inert\"><code>inert</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/inputmode\"><code>inputmode</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/is\"><code>is</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemid\"><code>itemid</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemprop\"><code>itemprop</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemref\"><code>itemref</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemscope\"><code>itemscope</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/itemtype\"><code>itemtype</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/lang\"><code>lang</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/nonce\"><code>nonce</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/part\"><code>part</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/popover\"><code>popover</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/slot\"><code>slot</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/spellcheck\"><code>spellcheck</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/style\"><code>style</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/tabindex\"><code>tabindex</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title\"><code>title</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/translate\"><code>translate</code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/virtualkeyboardpolicy\"><code>virtualkeyboardpolicy</code></a><abbr class=\"icon icon-experimental\" title=\"Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.\">\n <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Experimental</span>\n</abbr></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/writingsuggestions\"><code>writingsuggestions</code></a></li></ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Attributes</summary>\n <ol>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/accept\">accept</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/autocomplete\">autocomplete</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/capture\">capture</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/crossorigin\">crossorigin</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/dirname\">dirname</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/disabled\">disabled</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/elementtiming\">elementtiming</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/for\">for</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/max\">max</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/maxlength\">maxlength</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/min\">min</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/minlength\">minlength</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/multiple\">multiple</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/pattern\">pattern</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/placeholder\">placeholder</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/readonly\">readonly</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/rel\">rel</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/required\">required</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/size\">size</a></li>\n \n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Attributes/step\">step</a></li>\n \n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary><code><input></code> types</summary>\n <ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/button\"><code><input type=\"button\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/checkbox\"><code><input type=\"checkbox\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/color\"><code><input type=\"color\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/date\"><code><input type=\"date\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/datetime-local\"><code><input type=\"datetime-local\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/email\"><code><input type=\"email\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/file\"><code><input type=\"file\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/hidden\"><code><input type=\"hidden\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/image\"><code><input type=\"image\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/month\"><code><input type=\"month\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/number\"><code><input type=\"number\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/password\"><code><input type=\"password\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/radio\"><code><input type=\"radio\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/range\"><code><input type=\"range\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/reset\"><code><input type=\"reset\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/search\"><code><input type=\"search\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/submit\"><code><input type=\"submit\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/tel\"><code><input type=\"tel\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/text\"><code><input type=\"text\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/time\"><code><input type=\"time\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/url\"><code><input type=\"url\"></code></a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/week\"><code><input type=\"week\"></code></a></li></ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"section no-link\">Guides</li>\n <li>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories\">Content categories</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Glossary/Block-level_content\">Block-level elements</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Glossary/Inline-level_content\">Inline elements</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Quirks_Mode_and_Standards_Mode\">Quirks Mode and Standards Mode</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Date_and_time_formats\">Date and time formats used in HTML</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Constraint_validation\">Constraint validation</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Microdata\">Microdata</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/microformats\">Microformats</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Viewport_meta_tag\">Viewport meta tag</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/CORS_enabled_image\">Allowing cross-origin use of images and canvas</a></li>\n </ol>\n </li>\n </ol>\n","sidebarMacro":"HTMLSidebar","body":[{"type":"prose","value":{"id":null,"title":null,"isH3":false,"content":"<p>The <strong><code><dfn></code></strong> <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML\">HTML</a> element indicates a term to be defined. The <code><dfn></code> element should be used in a complete definition statement, where the full definition of the term can be one of the following:</p>\n<ul>\n <li>The ancestor paragraph (a block of text, sometimes marked by a <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/p\"><code><p></code></a> element)</li>\n <li>The <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt\"><code><dt></code></a>/<a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd\"><code><dd></code></a> pairing</li>\n <li>The nearest <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#sectioning_content\">section</a> ancestor of the <code><dfn></code> element,</li>\n</ul>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"try_it","title":"Try it","isH3":false,"content":"<iframe class=\"interactive is-tabbed-shorter-height\" height=\"200\" src=\"https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/pages/tabbed/dfn.html\" title=\"MDN Web Docs Interactive Example\" allow=\"clipboard-write\" loading=\"lazy\"></iframe>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"attributes","title":"Attributes","isH3":false,"content":"<p>This element's attributes include the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes\">global attributes</a>.</p>\n<p>The <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title\"><code>title</code></a> attribute has special meaning, as noted below.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"usage_notes","title":"Usage notes","isH3":false,"content":"<p>There are some not-entirely-obvious aspects to using the <code><dfn></code> element. We examine those here.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"specifying_the_term_being_defined","title":"Specifying the term being defined","isH3":true,"content":"<p>The term being defined is identified following these rules:</p>\n<ol>\n <li>If the <code><dfn></code> element has a <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/title\"><code>title</code></a> attribute, the value of the <code>title</code> attribute is considered to be the term being defined. The element must still have text within it, but that text may be an abbreviation (perhaps using <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr\"><code><abbr></code></a>) or another form of the term.</li>\n <li>If the <code><dfn></code> contains a single child element and does not have any text content of its own, and the child element is an <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr\"><code><abbr></code></a> element with a <code>title</code> attribute itself, then the exact value of the <code><abbr></code> element's <code>title</code> is the term being defined.</li>\n <li>Otherwise, the text content of the <code><dfn></code> element is the term being defined. This is shown <a href=\"#basic_identification_of_a_term\">in the first example below</a>.</li>\n</ol>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n <p><strong>Note:</strong> If the <code><dfn></code> element has a <code>title</code> attribute, it <em>must</em> contain the term being defined and no other text.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"links_to_dfn_elements","title":"Links to <code><dfn></code> elements","isH3":true,"content":"<p>If you include an <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id\"><code>id</code></a> attribute on the <code><dfn></code> element, you can then link to it using <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a\"><code><a></code></a> elements. Such links should be uses of the term, with the intent being that the reader can quickly navigate to the term's definition if they're not already aware of it, by clicking on the term's link.</p>\n<p>This is shown in the example under <a href=\"#links_to_definitions\">Links to definitions</a> below.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"examples","title":"Examples","isH3":false,"content":"<p>Let's take a look at some examples of various usage scenarios.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"basic_identification_of_a_term","title":"Basic identification of a term","isH3":true,"content":"<p>This example uses a plain <code><dfn></code> element to identify the location of a term within the definition.</p>\n<h4 id=\"html\">HTML</h4>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><p>\n The <strong>HTML Definition element (<dfn>&lt;dfn&gt;</dfn>)</strong> is used\n to indicate the term being defined within the context of a definition phrase\n or sentence.\n</p>\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Since the <code><dfn></code> element has no <code>title</code>, the text contents of the <code><dfn></code> element itself are used as the term being defined.</p>\n<h4 id=\"result\">Result</h4><div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"></div><iframe class=\"sample-code-frame\" title=\"Basic identification of a term sample\" id=\"frame_basic_identification_of_a_term\" width=\"650\" height=\"120\" src=\"about:blank\" data-live-path=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn\" data-live-id=\"basic_identification_of_a_term\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" loading=\"lazy\"></iframe></div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"links_to_definitions","title":"Links to definitions","isH3":true,"content":"<p>To add links to the definitions, you create the link the same way you always do, with the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a\"><code><a></code></a> element.</p>\n<h4 id=\"html_2\">HTML</h4>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><p>\n The\n <strong>HTML Definition element (<dfn id=\"definition-dfn\">&lt;dfn&gt;</dfn>)</strong>\n is used to indicate the term being defined within the context of a definition\n phrase or sentence.\n</p>\n\n<p>\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Graece donan, Latine\n voluptatem vocant. Confecta res esset. Duo Reges: constructio interrete.\n Scrupulum, inquam, abeunti;\n</p>\n\n<p>\n Because of all of that, we decided to use the\n <code><a href=\"#definition-dfn\">&lt;dfn&gt;</a></code> element for this\n project.\n</p>\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Here we see the definition — now with an <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/id\"><code>id</code></a> attribute, <code>\"definition-dfn\"</code>, which can be used as the target of a link. Later on, a link is created using <code><a></code> with the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a#href\"><code>href</code></a> attribute set to <code>\"#definition-dfn\"</code> to set up the link back to the definition.</p>\n<h4 id=\"result_2\">Result</h4><div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"></div><iframe class=\"sample-code-frame\" title=\"Links to definitions sample\" id=\"frame_links_to_definitions\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" src=\"about:blank\" data-live-path=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn\" data-live-id=\"links_to_definitions\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" loading=\"lazy\"></iframe></div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together","title":"Using abbreviations and definitions together","isH3":true,"content":"<p>In some cases, you may wish to use an abbreviation for a term when defining it. This can be done by using the <code><dfn></code> and <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr\"><code><abbr></code></a> elements in tandem, like this:</p>\n<h4 id=\"html_3\">HTML</h4>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><p>\n The <dfn><abbr title=\"Hubble Space Telescope\">HST</abbr></dfn> is among the\n most productive scientific instruments ever constructed. It has been in orbit\n for over 20 years, scanning the sky and returning data and photographs of\n unprecedented quality and detail.\n</p>\n\n<p>\n Indeed, the <abbr title=\"Hubble Space Telescope\">HST</abbr> has arguably done\n more to advance science than any device ever built.\n</p>\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Note the <code><abbr></code> element nested inside the <code><dfn></code>. The former establishes that the term is an abbreviation (\"HST\") and specifies the full term (\"Hubble Space Telescope\") in its <code>title</code> attribute. The latter indicates that the abbreviated term represents a term being defined.</p>\n<h4 id=\"result_3\">Result</h4><div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"></div><iframe class=\"sample-code-frame\" title=\"Using abbreviations and definitions together sample\" id=\"frame_using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together\" width=\"650\" height=\"200\" src=\"about:blank\" data-live-path=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn\" data-live-id=\"using_abbreviations_and_definitions_together\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" loading=\"lazy\"></iframe></div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"technical_summary","title":"Technical summary","isH3":false,"content":"<figure class=\"table-container\"><table class=\"properties\">\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories\">Content categories</a></th>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#flow_content\">Flow content</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content\">phrasing content</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#palpable_content\">palpable content</a>.\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Permitted content</th>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content\">Phrasing content</a>,\n but no <code><dfn></code> element must be a descendant.\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Tag omission</th>\n <td>None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Permitted parents</th>\n <td>\n Any element that accepts\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Content_categories#phrasing_content\">phrasing content</a>.\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Implicit ARIA role</th>\n <td><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/term_role\"><code>term</code></a></td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Permitted ARIA roles</th>\n <td>Any</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">DOM interface</th>\n <td><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLElement\"><code>HTMLElement</code></a></td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n</table></figure>"}},{"type":"specifications","value":{"title":"Specifications","id":"specifications","isH3":false,"specifications":[{"bcdSpecificationURL":"https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/text-level-semantics.html#the-dfn-element","title":"HTML Standard"}],"query":"html.elements.dfn"}},{"type":"browser_compatibility","value":{"title":"Browser compatibility","id":"browser_compatibility","isH3":false,"query":"html.elements.dfn"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"see_also","title":"See also","isH3":false,"content":"<ul>\n <li>Elements related to definition lists: <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dl\"><code><dl></code></a>, <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dt\"><code><dt></code></a>, <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dd\"><code><dd></code></a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/abbr\"><code><abbr></code></a></li>\n</ul>"}}],"toc":[{"text":"Try it","id":"try_it"},{"text":"Attributes","id":"attributes"},{"text":"Usage notes","id":"usage_notes"},{"text":"Examples","id":"examples"},{"text":"Technical summary","id":"technical_summary"},{"text":"Specifications","id":"specifications"},{"text":"Browser compatibility","id":"browser_compatibility"},{"text":"See also","id":"see_also"}],"summary":"The <dfn> HTML element indicates a term to be defined. The <dfn> element should be used in a complete definition statement, where the full definition of the term can be one of the following:","popularity":0,"modified":"2024-10-06T21:42:58.000Z","other_translations":[{"locale":"de","title":"<dfn>: Das Definitionselement","native":"Deutsch"},{"locale":"es","title":"dfn","native":"Español"},{"locale":"fr","title":"<dfn> : l'élément de définition","native":"Français"},{"locale":"ja","title":"<dfn>: 定義要素","native":"日本語"},{"locale":"ko","title":"<dfn>: 정의 요소","native":"한국어"},{"locale":"pt-BR","title":"<dfn>","native":"Português (do Brasil)"},{"locale":"ru","title":"<dfn>: Элемент определения","native":"Русский"},{"locale":"zh-CN","title":"<dfn>","native":"中文 (简体)"},{"locale":"zh-TW","title":"<dfn>：定義元素","native":"正體中文 (繁體)"}],"pageType":"html-element","source":{"folder":"en-us/web/html/element/dfn","github_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/web/html/element/dfn/index.md","last_commit_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/commit/5026c14bd6d2b6b377289aadac7eceae9282e806","filename":"index.md"},"short_title":"<dfn>","parents":[{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Web","title":"References"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML","title":"HTML"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element","title":"Elements"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/dfn","title":"<dfn>"}],"pageTitle":"<dfn>: The Definition element - HTML: HyperText Markup Language | MDN","noIndexing":false}}</script></body></html>