Text & Formatting

<abbr>, <time>, <address>

Abbreviations, machine-readable times, and contact info.

1Specialized Inline Tags

<abbr title=""> shows a tooltip on hover. <time datetime=""> gives a machine-readable timestamp. <address> wraps contact info for an article or page.

Example Code

css

<p>The <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> spec.</p>

<p>Posted on <time datetime="2026-04-30">Apr 30, 2026</time>.</p>

<address>
  Acme Inc.<br />
  123 Main St.<br />
  <a href="mailto:hi@acme.com">hi@acme.com</a>
</address>

2Put the element in context

An abbreviation can include an expansion, but important explanations should also be available in normal text. A time element can pair a human-readable date with a machine-readable value. Make the displayed date and its underlying value describe the same event.

3Practice with a small page

Write a date using time with a valid datetime value and an abbreviation whose meaning is also explained nearby. Inspect the attributes and visible text. Avoid using a dynamically changing date to imply that old content was updated.

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