HTML Tags
HTML <html> Tag
The <html> tag is the root element that wraps all other elements on the page and represents the whole document.
What is the <html> tag?
The <html> element is the top-level element of an HTML document, often called the root element. Every other element must be a descendant of it. A document contains exactly one <html> element, which itself contains one <head> followed by one <body>.
Syntax
<html lang="en">
<!-- head and body go here -->
</html>Complete example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Root Element Demo</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Everything you see lives inside the html element.</p>
</body>
</html>Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| lang | Declares the primary language of the document (for example en, hi, fr). Helps screen readers, search engines, and translation tools. |
| dir | Sets the base text direction: ltr (left-to-right) or rtl (right-to-left). |
| xmlns | The XML namespace, used only when serving the document as XHTML. |
💡
Always set the lang attribute. It improves accessibility and SEO, and it is required for valid, high-quality HTML.
The <html> tag is supported in all browsers. The opening and closing tags are technically optional in the HTML syntax, but you should always include them for clarity and tooling support.