HTML <mark> Tag

The HTML <mark> tag represents text as marked or highlighted for reference purposes, due to its relevance in another context.

There are two main contexts for the <mark> tag. Here's how the HTML 5 specification explains it:

When used in a quotation or other block of text referred to from the prose, it indicates a highlight that was not originally present but which has been added to bring the reader's attention to a part of the text that might not have been considered important by the original author when the block was originally written, but which is now under previously unexpected scrutiny. When used in the main prose of a document, it indicates a part of the document that has been highlighted due to its likely relevance to the user's current activity.

Syntax

The <mark> tag is written as <mark></mark> with the text being marked up inserted between the start and end tags.

Like this:

Examples

Draw Attention to a Part of a Quotation

One use for the <mark> tag is to draw attention to a particular part of a quotation. This is typically done when using that particular part as part of a discussion.

Like this.

Search Results

Another common usage for the <mark> element is to highlight the search term within a search results page.

Draw Attention to a Code Error

Here, we use the <mark> to draw attention to a code error in some JavaScript.

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 <mark> element accepts the following attributes.

Element-Specific Attributes

This table shows the attributes that are specific to the <mark> tag/element.

AttributeDescription
None 

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML5 elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <mark> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.

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 <mark> element, as well as any other HTML5 element.

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

Differences Between HTML 4 & HTML 5

The <mark> tag is new in HTML5.

For more information on this element see HTML5 <mark> Tag. Also check out the links to the official specifications below.

Template

Here's a template for the <mark> 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.

Note that the <mark> element does not actually have any local attributes (i.e. attributes that are specific to the element), but the following global attributes and event handlers are available to the element (and all other HTML elements).

For more information on attributes for this tag, see HTML5 <mark> Tag.

Tag Details

For more details about the <mark> tag, see HTML5 <mark> Tag.

Specifications

Here are the official specifications for the <mark> element.

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.