<var>: The Variable element #

::: section-content The <var> HTML element represents the name of a variable in a mathematical expression or a programming context. It's typically presented using an italicized version of the current typeface, although that behavior is browser-dependent. :::

Try it #

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

HTML Demo: <var> #

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 volume of a box is l × w × h, where l represents the length, w the width and h the height of the box.

::: :::

::: {#css-panel .section .hidden tabindex=“0” role=“tabpanel” aria-labelledby=“css” aria-hidden=“true”} ::: {#css-editor} var { font-weight: bold; } ::: :::

::: {#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 #

Related elements #

::: section-content Other elements that are used in contexts in which <var> is commonly used include:

<code>: The HTML Code element
<kbd>: The HTML Keyboard input element
<samp>: The HTML Sample Output element

If you encounter code that is mistakenly using <var> for style purposes rather than semantic purposes, you should either use a <span> with appropriate CSS or, an appropriate semantic element among the following:

Default style #

::: section-content Most browsers apply font-style to "italic" when rendering <var>. This can be overridden in CSS, like this:

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

var {
  font-style: normal;
}

::: :::

Examples #

Basic example #

::: section-content Here's a simple example, using <var> to denote variable names in a mathematical equation.

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

<p>A simple equation: <var>x</var> = <var>y</var> + 2</p>

:::

Result #

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

Overriding the default style #

::: section-content Using CSS, you can override the default style for the <var> element. In this example, variable names are rendered using bold Courier if it's available, otherwise it falls back to the default monospace font.

CSS #

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

var {
  font:
    bold 15px "Courier",
    "Courier New",
    monospace;
}

:::

HTML #

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

<p>
  The variables <var>minSpeed</var> and <var>maxSpeed</var> control the minimum
  and maximum speed of the apparatus in revolutions per minute (RPM).
</p>

:::

This HTML uses <var> to enclose the names of two variables.

Result #

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

Technical summary #

::: section-content

Content categories	Flow content, phrasing content, palpable content.
Permitted content	Phrasing content.
Tag omission	None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.
Permitted parents	Any element that accepts phrasing content.
Implicit ARIA role	No corresponding role
Permitted ARIA roles	Any
DOM interface	`HTMLElement`

:::

Specifications #

::: _table #

Specification #

HTML Standard
[# the-var-element]{.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

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

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