HTML Tags

HTML Tag

The  tag in HTML is used to indicate emphasized text.
Browsers typically render  text in italic style, but unlike , it carries semantic importance.
Screen readers give it special emphasis, making it important for accessibility.
It is an inline element.

Syntax

html

<em>Emphasized text here</em>

Attributes

Attribute	Description
class	Assigns one or more class names for styling.
id	Assigns a unique identifier to the element.
style	Adds inline CSS styles to customize appearance.
title	Provides additional information as a tooltip.

Example

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>EM Tag Example</title>
  <style>
    .emphasis {
      color: #d35400;
      font-style: italic;
      background-color: #fff8e1;
      padding: 2px 4px;
      border-radius: 4px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>HTML <em> Tag Example</h1>
  <p>
    This sentence contains <em class="emphasis" id="important-text" title="Emphasized Text">emphasized text</em> that conveys importance.
  </p>
  <p>
    Example: You should <em>read the instructions carefully</em> before starting the task.
  </p>
</body>
</html>

Output

Browser Output

html

Use our TryIt Editor to see the output.

Browser Support

Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Safari	Opera	IE9+
Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

The  tag visually italicizes text and semantically emphasizes it, providing meaning for accessibility and screen readers.

Notes

 is an inline element used for semantic emphasis.
Screen readers pronounce emphasized text with more stress, improving accessibility.
CSS can further style  text with color, font size, or background.
For purely stylistic italics without semantic meaning, use .

Conclusion

The  tag is essential for emphasizing text semantically in HTML.
It conveys importance for both human readers and assistive technologies while also rendering in italic style.

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