When referring to Hypertext Markup Language, the code is made up of sets of characters between angled brackets called tags. The complete tag, including the opening tag, enclosed tag content, and the closing tag, is the HTML element, as shown below.

In the example above, the element defines a hyperlink. An element may also tell the browser how to display text. For example, text in the bold element, denoted with and , displays darker text, whereas the italic element, denoted with and , makes italicized text.

Character, Internet terms, Web design terms

  • See our HTML help for a list of HTML elements and their functions.