Tag u

The <u> tag in HTML is used to underline text. It visually emphasizes content by adding a line beneath the text, often to highlight important information or specific terms.

📌 What Is the <u> Tag?

  • The <u> element applies an underline style to enclosed text.
  • It is an inline element.
  • Historically, <u> was used purely for presentation, but in HTML5, it has a more specific semantic meaning related to non-textual annotations.
  • Browsers render <u> text with an underline by default.

✅ Basic Syntax

<p>This is an <u>underlined</u> word.</p>

🧩 Semantic Meaning in HTML5

In modern HTML5, the <u> tag represents text with an unarticulated annotation, which means:

  • Underlined text that is not a hyperlink.
  • It can represent proper names in Chinese text or misspelled words.
  • It differs from emphasis tags like <em> or <strong>.

🧪 Example: Underlined Text

<p>Please read the <u>terms and conditions</u> carefully.</p>

🎨 Styling with CSS Instead of <u>

For purely visual underlining, CSS is preferred:

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Underlined text with CSS</span>

Or in CSS:

.underline {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

And HTML:

<p class="underline">This text is underlined using CSS.</p>

⚠️ When to Use <u>

  • Use <u> for semantic underlining, such as annotations or non-standard emphasis.
  • For links, browsers automatically underline <a> tags.
  • For decorative underlining without meaning, prefer CSS text-decoration.
  • Avoid using <u> solely for styling if semantics are not relevant.

🏁 Summary

The <u> tag underlines text and in HTML5 carries semantic meaning related to annotations. For purely decorative underlines, CSS is the modern and preferred method. Use <u> when the underline adds meaningful context beyond simple styling.