<strong>: The Strong Importance element #
::: section-content
The <strong>
HTML element indicates that its contents have
strong importance, seriousness, or urgency. Browsers typically render
the contents in bold type.
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Try it #
::: section-content ::: iframe ::: {.output-header .border-rounded-top}
HTML Demo: <strong> #
Reset :::
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CSS
JavaScript :::
::: {#html-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“html” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#html-editor}
… the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs: never feed him after midnight.
::: :::::: {#css-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“css” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#css-editor} p { font-size: 1rem; } ::: :::
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Output #
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::: {.section .console-container .hidden aria-hidden=“true”}
Console Output #
![] clear console
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Attributes #
::: section-content This element only includes the global attributes. :::
Usage notes #
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The <strong> element is for content that is of "strong importance,"
including things of great seriousness or urgency (such as warnings).
This could be a sentence that is of great importance to the whole page,
or you could merely try to point out that some words are of greater
importance compared to nearby content.
Typically this element is rendered by default using a bold font weight.
However, it should not be used to apply bold styling; use the CSS
font-weight
property for that purpose. Use the
<b> element to draw attention
to certain text without indicating a higher level of importance. Use the
<em> element to mark text that has stress emphasis.
Another accepted use for <strong> is to denote the labels of
paragraphs which represent notes or warnings within the text of a page.
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<b> vs. <strong> #
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It is often confusing to new developers why there are so many ways to
express the same thing on a rendered website.
<b> and <strong>
are perhaps one of the most common sources of confusion, causing
developers to ask "Should I use <b> or <strong>? Don't they both
do the same thing?"
Not exactly. The <strong> element is for content that is of greater
importance, while the <b> element is used to draw attention to text
without indicating that it's more important.
It may help to realize that both are valid and semantic elements in HTML
and that it's a coincidence that they both have the same default
styling (boldface) in most browsers (although some older browsers
actually underline <strong>). Each element is meant to be used in
certain types of scenarios, and if you want to bold text for decoration,
you should instead actually use the CSS
font-weight
property.
The intended meaning or purpose of the enclosed text should be what determines which element you use. Communicating meaning is what semantics are all about. :::
<em> vs. <strong> #
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Adding to the confusion is the fact that while HTML 4 defined <strong>
as indicating a stronger emphasis, HTML 5 defines <strong> as
representing "strong importance for its contents." This is an
important distinction to make.
While <em> is used to change the meaning of a sentence as spoken
emphasis does ("I love carrots" vs. "I love carrots"),
<strong> is used to give portions of a sentence added importance
(e.g., "Warning! This is very dangerous.") Both <strong> and
<em> can be nested to increase the relative degree of importance or
stress emphasis, respectively.
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Examples #
Basic example #
::: section-content ::: code-example [html]{.language-name}
<p>
Before proceeding, <strong>make sure you put on your safety goggles</strong>.
</p>
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Result #
::: {#sect1 .code-example} ::: iframe ::: ::: :::
Labeling warnings #
::: section-content ::: code-example [html]{.language-name}
<p>
<strong>Important:</strong> Before proceeding, make sure you add plenty of
butter.
</p>
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Result #
::: {#sect2 .code-example} ::: iframe ::: ::: :::
Technical summary #
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| Content categories | Flow content, phrasing content, palpable content. |
|---|---|
| Permitted content | Phrasing content. |
| Tag omission | None; must have both a start tag and an end tag. |
| Permitted parents | Any element that accepts phrasing content, or any element that accepts flow content. |
| Implicit ARIA role | strong |
| Permitted ARIA roles | Any |
| DOM interface | HTMLElement |
Specifications #
::: _table #
Specification #
HTML Standard
[#
the-strong-element]{.small}
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Browser compatibility #
::: _table #
Desktop Mobile
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Opera Safari WebView Chrome Firefox Opera Safari Samsung
Explorer Android Android for Android on IOS Internet
Android
strong 1 12 1 Yes 15 ≤4 4.4 18 4 14 ≤3.2 1.0
Before Firefox 4,
creating a
`<strong>` element
incorrectly
resulted in an
`HTMLSpanElement`
object, instead of
the expected
`HTMLElement`.
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See also #
::: section-content
- The
<b>element - The
<em>element - The
font-weightproperty :::
::: _attribution
© 2005–2023 MDN contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5
or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/strong{._attribution-link}
:::