<sup>: The Superscript element #

::: section-content The <sup> HTML element specifies inline text which is to be displayed as superscript for solely typographical reasons. Superscripts are usually rendered with a raised baseline using smaller text. :::

Try it #

::: section-content ::: iframe ::: {.output-header .border-rounded-top}

HTML Demo: <sup> #

Reset :::

::: {#warning-no-script .warning-container} ::: warning The interactive example cannot be shown because JavaScript is disabled. ::: :::

::: {#warning-mathml-not-supported .warning-container .hidden} ::: warning The interactive example cannot be shown because MathML is not supported by your browser. ::: :::

::: {#editor-container .editor-container .tabbed-shorter .hidden .border-rounded-bottom editor-type=“tabbed”} ::: {#tab-container .section .tabs} ::: {#tablist .tab-list role=“tablist”} HTML

CSS

JavaScript :::

::: {#html-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“html” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#html-editor}

The Pythagorean theorem is often expressed as the following equation:

<p>
  <var>a<sup>2</sup></var> + <var>b<sup>2</sup></var> = <var>c<sup>2</sup></var>
</p>

::: :::

::: {#css-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“css” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#css-editor} p { font: 1rem ‘Fira Sans’, sans-serif; } ::: :::

::: {#js-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“js” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#js-editor} ::: ::: :::

::: {#output .output-container}

Output #

::: :::

::: {.section .console-container .hidden aria-hidden=“true”}

Console Output #

![] clear console

::: {#console .console} ::: :::

::: {#html-output .output .editor-tabbed} %html-content% ::: ::: :::

Attributes #

::: section-content This element only includes the global attributes. :::

Usage notes #

::: section-content The <sup> element should only be used for typographical reasons—that is, to change the position of the text to comply with typographical conventions or standards, rather than solely for presentation or appearance purposes.

For example, to style the wordmark{target="_blank"} of a business or product which uses a raised baseline should be done using CSS (most likely vertical-align) rather than <sup>. This would be done using, for example, vertical-align: super or, to shift the baseline up 50%, vertical-align: 50%.

Appropriate use cases for <sup> include (but aren't necessarily limited to):

• Displaying exponents, such as "x ^3^ ." It may be worth considering the use of MathML for these, especially in more complex cases. See Exponents under Examples below.
• Displaying superior lettering{target="_blank"}, which is used in some languages when rendering certain abbreviations. For example, in French, the word "mademoiselle" can be abbreviated "M ^lle^ "); this is an acceptable use case. See Superior lettering for examples.
• Representing ordinal numbers, such as "4 ^th^ " instead of "fourth." See Ordinal numbers for examples. :::

Examples #

Exponents #

::: section-content Exponents, or powers of a number, are among the most common uses of superscripted text. For example:

::: code-example [html]{.language-name}

<p>
  One of the most common equations in all of physics is <var>E</var>=<var>m</var
  ><var>c</var><sup>2</sup>.
</p>

:::

Result #

::: {#sect1 .code-example} ::: iframe ::: ::: :::

Superior lettering #

::: section-content Superior lettering is not technically the same thing as superscript. However, it is common to use <sup> to present superior lettering in HTML. Among the most common uses of superior lettering is the presentation of certain abbreviations in French:

::: code-example [html]{.language-name}

<p>Robert a présenté son rapport à M<sup>lle</sup> Bernard.</p>

:::

Result #

::: {#sect2 .code-example} ::: iframe ::: ::: :::

Ordinal numbers #

::: section-content Ordinal numbers, such as "fourth" in English or "quinto" in Spanish may be abbreviated using numerals and language-specific text rendered in superscript:

::: code-example [html]{.language-name}

<p>
  The ordinal number "fifth" can be abbreviated in various languages as follows:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>English: 5<sup>th</sup></li>
  <li>French: 5<sup>ème</sup></li>
</ul>

:::

Result #

::: {#sect3 .code-example} ::: iframe ::: ::: :::

Technical summary #

::: section-content

Specifications #

::: _table #

Specification #

HTML Standard
[# the-sub-and-sup-elements]{.small}

:::

Browser compatibility #

::: _table Desktop Mobile

      Chrome    Edge   Firefox   Internet Explorer   Opera   Safari   WebView Android   Chrome Android   Firefox for Android   Opera Android   Safari on IOS   Samsung Internet

sup 1 12 1 Yes 15 ≤4 4.4 18 4 14 ≤3.2 1.0 :::

See also #

::: section-content

• The <sub> HTML element that produces subscripts. Note that you cannot use sub and sup at the same time: you need to use MathML to produce both a superscript and a subscript next to the chemical symbol of an element, representing its atomic number and its nuclear number.
• The <msub>, <msup>, and <msubsup> MathML elements.
• The CSS vertical-align property. :::

::: _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/sup{._attribution-link} :::