Web Building Blocks Beginner

What Is HTML?

HTML is the language that builds the structure of a web page.

Infographic: What Is HTML? It shows the tags that build a web page's structure, like headings, paragraphs, and links.
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Every web page is built with HTML. It is the language that gives a page its structure, like the frame and rooms of a house.

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. You write the content, and the browser reads the HTML and builds the page you see.

It works with building blocks called tags: headings for titles, paragraphs for text, links to other pages, images, and lists.

For example, a heading tag makes big title text, and a paragraph tag makes a block of writing. The browser turns those tags into what you read.

HTML is just the structure, though. It does not make things pretty or interactive on its own.

That is where its teammates come in: CSS makes it look good, and JavaScript makes it move. Together they build the whole web.

What to remember

  • HTML builds the structure of a web page.
  • It uses tags like headings, paragraphs, links, and images.
  • The browser reads HTML and draws the page.
  • HTML is structure; CSS adds style and JavaScript adds behavior.

Words to know

HTML
HyperText Markup Language, the structure of a web page.
Tag
A label like a heading or paragraph that marks content.
Element
A piece of a page made by a tag.
Link
A tag that connects to another page.

For grown-ups

HTML marks up content into a structured document (the DOM) using semantic elements: headings, paragraphs, lists, links, images, and more. Semantic, well-structured HTML underpins accessibility and SEO. It is one of the three core web languages, paired with CSS for presentation and JavaScript for behavior.

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