HTML Text Formatting

HTML provides options for formatting text, such as bold, italic, underlined, highlighted, or even strikethrough. These help emphasize information on the page.

Basic formatting elements

The most common formatting includes bold (<b>), italic (<i>), underline (<u>), and highlight (<mark>). These tags help visually emphasize important content.

<b>This text is bold</b>

<i>This text is italic</i>

<u>This text is underlined</u>

<mark>This text is highlighted</mark>

Additional formatting options

HTML also supports smaller text (<small>), strikethrough (<del>), inserted text (<ins>), and subscripts/superscripts (<sub> and <sup>).

When should you use these elements?

Formatting elements should be used when you want to visually highlight important parts, such as errors, warnings, or emphasized information. Make sure that formatting does not compromise readability.

Tips for Text Formatting

• Don't format just to make it 'look better' – the highlighting should have a purpose.
• Avoid excessive formatting – don't make everything colored, italic, and underlined at the same time.
• Use <mark> tags for warnings or highlighted parts.
• <del> and <ins> are especially useful for showing changes in documents or version tracking.

Formatting and Screen Readers

Remember that visual formatting is not always recognized by screen readers. The meaning of the text should not rely solely on appearance – for example, the <b> tag doesn’t convey meaning, but <strong> does.

Using Semantic Formatting

Semantic tags like <strong> or <em> are not only visually distinct but also carry meaningful context. These should be used when content is truly important or emphasized.