HTML <em> Tag

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="keywords" content="HTML em tag, emphasis markup"> <meta name="Description" content="HTML em tag - represents stress emphasis of its contents."> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.quackit.com/html/tags/html_em_tag.cfm"> <title>HTML <em> Tag</title> <script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/pix/favicon96.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/pix/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin> <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;1,400&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/common/css/master.45.min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script async src="https://cdn.fuseplatform.net/publift/tags/2/3499/fuse.js"></script>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-Q3H025ZKLN"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-Q3H025ZKLN'); </script> </head> <body> <header class="site-header"> <div class="site-header-base"> <div class="site-logo"> <a title="Quackit Homepage" target="_top" href="/"><img src="/pix/quackit_logo_watermark.png" width="87" height="33" alt="Quackit Logo"></a> </div> <button id="site-nav-toggler" class="site-nav-toggler" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="site-nav"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> ☰ </button> </div> <nav id="site-nav" class="site-nav"> <div class="site-links"> <ul> <li><a href="/"><i class="fa fa-home"></i> <span class="sr-only">Home</span></a></li> <li><a href="/html/">HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/css/">CSS</a></li> <li><a href="/scripting/">Scripting</a></li> <li><a href="/database/">Database</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="site-search-top"> <form action="/search/" id="cse-search-box-bottom" class="site-search"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-6331358926293806:98x0fk-bbgi"> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:10"> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1"> <input type="text" name="q" size="20" class="site-search-input"> <button type="submit" name="sa" class="site-search-button"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></button> </div> </form> </div> </nav> </header> <div class="main"> <article class="content"> <h1 class="page-title">HTML <em> Tag</h1> <div class="ad ad-top">  <div data-fuse="23059883623"></div> </div> <p class="lead">The HTML <code><em></code> tag represents stress emphasis of its contents.</p> <p>The <code><em></code> tag is used when you need to emphasize a particular word or phrase within a sentence. The placement of stress emphasis changes the meaning of the sentence.</p> <p>Also see the <a href="/html/tags/html_strong_tag.cfm"><code><strong></code></a> and <a href="/html/tags/html_b_tag.cfm"><code><b></code></a> tags.</p> <div class="ad">  <div data-fuse="23059883629"></div> </div> <h2>Syntax</h2> <p>The <code><em></code> tag is written as <code><em></code><code></em></code> with the emphasized content inserted between the start and end tags.</p> <p>Like this:</p> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/lib/codemirror.js"></script> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/htmlmixed/htmlmixed.js"></script> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/css/css.js"></script> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/javascript/javascript.js"></script> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/xml/xml.js"></script> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example1" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><em>Emphasized content...</em></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode1 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example1"), { mode: "htmlmixed", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h2>Examples</h2> <h3>Basic tag usage</h3> <p>Here, the words "chameleon" and the second occurence of "comedian" have stress emphasis, which means that the speakers want to emphasize these words.</p> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/htmlmixed/htmlmixed.js"></script> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example2" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><p>"What is your occupation?" asked Jane.</p>
<p>"I am a comedian" replied Rupert.</p>
<p>"Did you say that you are a <em>chameleon</em>".</p>
<p>"No" said Rupert, "I am a <em>comedian</em>".</p></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode2 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example2"), { mode: "htmlmixed", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h3>Moving the Stress Emphasis</h3> <p>Here, Rupert replies again with the same "I am a comedian" line. However, this time he has moved the stress-emphasis to the word "am". By moving the stress emphasis, the meaning of the sentence has changed. This time his occupation is under question, so he emphasizes "am" to stress that he really is what he says he is.</p> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example3" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><p>"<em>You're</em> not a comedian" laughed Jane.</p>
<p>"I <em>am</em> a comedian" protested Rupert.</p></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode3 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example3"), { mode: "htmlmixed", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h3>Nested <code><em></code> Elements</h3> <p>You can nest multiple <code><em></code> elements inside each other. This provides extra stress emphasis to the words enclosed in the inner <code><em></code> tags.</p> <p>Once again, Rupert replies again with his stock-standard "I am a comedian" line. However, this time he is angry. Nobody questions <em>Rupert's</em> occupation - especially when he is so obviously a funny guy!</p> <p>To demonstrate Rupert's frustration, we enclose the whole sentence in <code><em></code> tags. We also add another <code><em></code> element to the word "am" seeing as he's fighting hard to convince Jane that he is a comedian (fighting a losing battle by the looks of it too!).</p> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example4" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><p>"You've <em>got</em> to be joking... I don't believe you!" replied Jane, rolling over with laughter.</p>
<p>Rupert couldn't take this anymore, he didn't know what to say, so he shouted into the microphone "<em>I <em>am</em> a comedian!</em>"</p>
<p>Finally, the crowd erupted with laughter.</p></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode4 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example4"), { mode: "htmlmixed", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h3>Styling Nested <code><em></code> Elements</h3> <p>It's likely that your browser didn't render the nested <code><em></code> element any different than the outer element. So the user can't tell that the word "am" has even more stress emphasis than the rest of the sentence.</p> <p>To overcome this, you could use <a href="/css/">CSS</a> to style the inner element so that it stands out from the rest of the sentence.</p> <p>Here's an example:</p> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example5" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><!DOCTYPE html>
<title>Example</title>
<style>
em > em {text-transform:uppercase;}
</style>
<p>"You've <em>got</em> to be joking... I don't believe you!" replied Jane, rolling over with laughter.</p>
<p>Rupert couldn't take this anymore, he didn't know what to say, so he shouted into the microphone "<em>I <em>am</em> a comedian!</em>"</p>
<p>Finally, the crowd erupted with laughter.</p></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode5 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example5"), { mode: "htmlmixed", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h2>Attributes</h2> <p><a href="/html/tutorial/html_attributes.cfm">Attributes</a> can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.</p> <p>The <code><em></code> element accepts the following attributes.</p> <table class="tabular"> <tr> <th>Attribute</th><th>Description</th> </tr> <tr> <td>None</td><td> </td> </tr> </table> <h3>Global Attributes</h3> <p>The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <code><em></code> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.</p> <ul class="col-3"> <li><code>accesskey</code></li> <li><code>autocapitalize</code></li> <li><code>class</code></li> <li><code>contenteditable</code></li> <li><code>data-*</code></li> <li><code>dir</code></li> <li><code>draggable</code></li> <li><code>hidden</code></li> <li><code>id</code></li> <li><code>inputmode</code></li> <li><code>is</code></li> <li><code>itemid</code></li> <li><code>itemprop</code></li> <li><code>itemref</code></li> <li><code>itemscope</code></li> <li><code>itemtype</code></li> <li><code>lang</code></li> <li><code>part</code></li> <li><code>slot</code></li> <li><code>spellcheck</code></li> <li><code>style</code></li> <li><code>tabindex</code></li> <li><code>title</code></li> <li><code>translate</code></li> </ul> <p>For a full explanation of these attributes, see <a href="/html/tags/html_5_global_attributes.cfm">HTML 5 global attributes</a>.</p> <h3>Event Handlers</h3> <p>Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.</p> <ul class="col-3"> <li><code>onabort</code></li> <li><code>onauxclick</code></li> <li><code>onblur</code></li> <li><code>oncancel</code></li> <li><code>oncanplay</code></li> <li><code>oncanplaythrough</code></li> <li><code>onchange</code></li> <li><code>onclick</code></li> <li><code>onclose</code></li> <li><code>oncontextmenu</code></li> <li><code>oncopy</code></li> <li><code>oncuechange</code></li> <li><code>oncut</code></li> <li><code>ondblclick</code></li> <li><code>ondrag</code></li> <li><code>ondragend</code></li> <li><code>ondragenter</code></li> <li><code>ondragexit</code></li> <li><code>ondragleave</code></li> <li><code>ondragover</code></li> <li><code>ondragstart</code></li> <li><code>ondrop</code></li> <li><code>ondurationchange</code></li> <li><code>onemptied</code></li> <li><code>onended</code></li> <li><code>onerror</code></li> <li><code>onfocus</code></li> <li><code>onformdata</code></li> <li><code>oninput</code></li> <li><code>oninvalid</code></li> <li><code>onkeydown</code></li> <li><code>onkeypress</code></li> <li><code>onkeyup</code></li> <li><code>onlanguagechange</code></li> <li><code>onload</code></li> <li><code>onloadeddata</code></li> <li><code>onloadedmetadata</code></li> <li><code>onloadstart</code></li> <li><code>onmousedown</code></li> <li><code>onmouseenter</code></li> <li><code>onmouseleave</code></li> <li><code>onmousemove</code></li> <li><code>onmouseout</code></li> <li><code>onmouseover</code></li> <li><code>onmouseup</code></li> <li><code>onpaste</code></li> <li><code>onpause</code></li> <li><code>onplay</code></li> <li><code>onplaying</code></li> <li><code>onprogress</code></li> <li><code>onratechange</code></li> <li><code>onreset</code></li> <li><code>onresize</code></li> <li><code>onscroll</code></li> <li><code>onsecuritypolicyviolation</code></li> <li><code>onseeked</code></li> <li><code>onseeking</code></li> <li><code>onselect</code></li> <li><code>onslotchange</code></li> <li><code>onstalled</code></li> <li><code>onsubmit</code></li> <li><code>onsuspend</code></li> <li><code>ontimeupdate</code></li> <li><code>ontoggle</code></li> <li><code>onvolumechange</code></li> <li><code>onwaiting</code></li> <li><code>onwheel</code></li> </ul> <p>Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.</p> <p>For more detail, see <a href="/html/tags/html_5_event_handler_content_attributes.cfm">HTML event handler content attributes</a>.</p> </article> <div class="sidebar"> <nav> <ul> <li> <h3><a href="/html/tags/">HTML Tags</a></h3> <ul class="taglist"> <li><a href="/html/tags/html_comments_tag.cfm">!--...--</a></li> <li><a href="/html/tags/html_doctype_tag.cfm">!DOCTYPE</a></li> <li><a href="/html/tags/html_a_tag.cfm">a</a></li> <li><a href="/html/tags/html_abbr_tag.cfm">abbr</a></li> <li><a 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