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.
Note that the <abbr> 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 <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.