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HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the core markup language of the World Wide Web: it labels the parts of a document and describes their structure and meaning so browsers and other software can interpret them.
What does HTML do?
HTML uses markup to identify elements in a web document, such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, images, and forms. Those labels help a browser understand how the content is organized and presented. Links connect one resource to another, which is why “hypertext” is part of the name.
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For example, an HTML heading tells software that a line is a heading rather than an ordinary paragraph. The markup describes the content’s role; it does not, by itself, provide every visual style or interactive behavior a site may have.
Is HTML a programming language?
HTML is a markup language, not a general-purpose programming language. Its primary job is to describe the structure and meaning of document content. CSS is generally used to control presentation, while scripting languages can add programmable behavior.
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What does “HTML5” mean today?
The current specification is the WHATWG HTML Living Standard, a maintained standard rather than a final, frozen version. The WHATWG explains that “HTML5” is widely used as a broad label or buzzword for modern web technologies. In 2019, the groups agreed to collaborate on a single HTML version going forward, so “HTML5” should not be treated as the name of a separate final endpoint.
A brief history of HTML
HTML’s early history is associated with Tim Berners-Lee and CERN. The language developed through successive specifications. W3C training material identifies HTML 2.0 in 1995, HTML 3.2 in 1997, and HTML 4.01 in 1999 as milestones.
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HTML 2.0 was historically described as an application of SGML and specified its syntax using an HTML Document Type Definition. That description applies to that historical specification; it is not a general definition of today’s HTML syntax.
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In one sentence
HTML is the Web’s core markup language, used to label and organize document content so software can interpret it and people can navigate between linked resources.
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