HTML <abbr> Tag
The HTML <abbr> tag creates the 'abbr' element, which represents an abbreviation or acronym.
It is not necessarily a requirement to use the <abbr> when presenting an abbreviation. It is simply a tag that can be useful in many cases when doing so (for example, using the title attribute to expand on the abbreviation, or using style sheets to apply to the <abbr> element).
Note that the (global) title attribute has special semantics on the <abbr> element. If used, it must provide an expansion of the abbreviation/acronym (but nothing else).
Syntax
The <abbr> tag is written as <abbr></abbr> with the abbreviation/acronym inserted between the start and end tags. You can add the title attribute to the first instance of the abbreviation to provide an expansion.
Like this:
Examples
Basic tag usage
With Title Attribute
Plural
If an abbreviation or acronym is pluralized, the value of any title attribute must match any pluralization of the <abbr> contents.
In other words, if the plural is outside the <abbr> element, then the title attribute's value must be singular (i.e. not pluralized). If on the other hand, the plural is inside the <abbr> element, the title attribute's value must be plural.
Here's an example of the plural being outside the <abbr> element:
Here's an example of the plural being inside the <abbr> element:
Attributes
Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.
There are 3 kinds of attributes that you can add to your HTML tags: Element-specific, global, and event handler content attributes.
The <abbr> element accepts the following attributes.
Element-Specific Attributes
This table shows the attributes that are specific to the <abbr> tag/element.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| None |
Global Attributes
The following attributes are standard across all HTML5 elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <abbr> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.
- accesskey
- class
- contenteditable
- contextmenu
- dir
- draggable
- dropzone
- hidden
- id
- inert
- itemid
- itemprop
- itemref
- itemscope
- itemtype
- lang
- spellcheck
- style
- tabindex
- title
- translate
For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.
Event Handler Content Attributes
Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.
Below are the standard HTML5 event handler content attributes.
Again, you can use any of these with the <abbr> element, as well as any other HTML5 element.
- onabort
- oncancel
- onblur
- oncanplay
- oncanplaythrough
- onchange
- onclick
- oncontextmenu
- ondblclick
- ondrag
- ondragend
- ondragenter
- ondragexit
- ondragleave
- ondragover
- ondragstart
- ondrop
- ondurationchange
- onemptied
- onended
- onerror
- onfocus
- onformchange
- onforminput
- oninput
- oninvalid
- onkeydown
- onkeypress
- onkeyup
- onload
- onloadeddata
- onloadedmetadata
- onloadstart
- onmousedown
- onmousemove
- onmouseout
- onmouseover
- onmouseup
- onmousewheel
- onpause
- onplay
- onplaying
- onprogress
- onratechange
- onreadystatechange
- onscroll
- onseeked
- onseeking
- onselect
- onshow
- onstalled
- onsubmit
- onsuspend
- ontimeupdate
- onvolumechange
- onwaiting
For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.
Differences Between HTML 4 & HTML 5
None.
To see more detail on the two versions see HTML5 <abbr> Tag and HTML4 <abbr> Tag. Also check out the links to the official specifications below.
Template
Here's a template for the <abbr> tag with all available attributes for the tag (based on HTML5). These are grouped into attribute types, each type separated by a space. In many cases, you will probably only need one or two (if any) attributes. Simply remove the attributes you don't need.
For more information on attributes for this tag, see HTML5 <abbr> Tag and HTML4 <abbr> Tag.
* The title attribute has special semantics on the <abbr> element. If used, it must provide an expansion of the abbreviation/acronym and nothing else.
Tag Details
For more details about the <abbr> tag, see HTML5 <abbr> Tag and HTML4 <abbr> Tag.
Specifications
Here are the official specifications for the <abbr> element.
- HTML5 Specification (W3C)
- HTML Living Standard (WHATWG)
- Current W3C Draft (the next version that is currently being worked on)
- HTML 4 (W3C)
What's the Difference?
W3C creates "snapshot" specifications that don't change once defined. So the HTML5 specification won't change once it becomes an official recommendation. WHATWG on the other hand, develops a "living standard" that is updated on a regular basis. In general, you will probably find that the HTML living standard will be more closely aligned to the current W3C draft than to the HTML5 specification.