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<abbr>

Explain an acronym on its first appearance

— 1 min read

  • HTML
  • accessibility
  • semantics

<abbr> — The abbreviation

The <abbr> element identifies an abbreviation or acronym. The title attribute provides the full form. You use it only on the first occurrence on the page.

When to use it

You are introducing an acronym or abbreviation for the first time in your content: API, HTML, CHU. Subsequent occurrences do not need <abbr>.

What you gain

Accessibility: screen readers can spell the abbreviation or read the full form via the title, preventing any confusion.

Code example

<p>
  The <abbr title="World Health Organization">WHO</abbr>
  published new guidelines. The WHO report covers
  three main areas.
</p>

Further reading