The font
tag was originally used in HTML to change the font, size, and color of text. It was popular in early web development, but it has been deprecated in HTML5 because it mixes content with styling, which goes against modern web standards.
✅ Modern practice: Use CSS instead.
✅ Old Syntax (Not Recommended Today)
<font face="Arial" size="4" color="blue">Hello, world!</font>
📍 What it does (in legacy browsers):
face="Arial"
— sets the font familysize="4"
— sets the font size (from 1 to 7)color="blue"
— sets the text color
❌ Why It’s Deprecated
Problem | Modern Solution (CSS) |
---|---|
Inline, hard-to-maintain | Use external or internal CSS styles |
No separation of concerns | Keep HTML for structure, CSS for style |
Limited flexibility | CSS gives far more styling options |
✅ Modern CSS Equivalent
Instead of <font>
, use a <span>
or any semantic tag and style it with CSS:
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; color: blue;">
Hello, world!
</span>
Or, using a CSS class:
<style>
.custom-text {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 16px;
color: blue;
}
</style>
<p class="custom-text">Hello, world!</p>
🧠 Summary
Feature | <font> Tag |
---|---|
Purpose | Change font, size, and color (outdated) |
Supported? | Yes in old browsers, but deprecated |
Use in HTML5 | ❌ No |
Modern Approach | ✅ CSS |
📝 Conclusion
While the <font>
tag might still render in older browsers, it should no longer be used in any modern HTML project. Use CSS for all text styling to ensure your code is clean, responsive, and future-proof.