HTML <span>
Tag
Topic: HTML5 Tags ReferencePrev|Next
Description
The <span>
tag is generic inline container for phrasing content, which has no default rendering or meaning. The <span>
tag is extensively used to define the structural sections of a document and to layout a web page using CSS.
The following table summarizes the usages context and the version history of this tag.
Placement: | Inline |
---|---|
Content: | Inline, and text |
Start/End Tag: | Start tag: required, End tag: required |
Version: | HTML 4, 4.01, 5 |
Note: The <span>
is very much like a <div>
element; both elements don't convey any meaning about its contents and also doesn't provide styling, or any other visual change. But <div>
is a block-level element while <span>
is an inline-level element.
Syntax
The basic syntax of the <span>
tag is given with:
The example below shows the <span>
tag in action.
Example
Try this code »<p>Here is some <span style="color:red;">different</span> text.</p>
<p>Read the <span class="important">Notes</span> carefully.</p>
Tip: The <span>
element is the most useful inline element for associating the styles and scripts with the content (using the class
or id
attributes), since this element has no default rendering or meaning.
Tag-Specific Attributes
The <span>
tag doesn't have any specific attribute.
Global Attributes
Like all other HTML tags, the <span>
tag supports the global attributes in HTML5.
Event Attributes
The <span>
tag also supports the event attributes in HTML5.
Browser Compatibility
The <span>
tag is supported in all major modern browsers.
Basic Support—
|
Further Reading
See tutorial on: HTML Layout.
Related tag: <div>
.