HTML <p> Tag

The HTML <p> tag represents a paragraph in an HTML document.

Paragraphs are usually rendered with a space between each paragraph, but this is dependent on the user agent/browser. Browsers do not necessarily need to render such a space, however, this is the normal convention.

The <p> tag should only be used when there is no other, more appropriate tag to use. For example, the <address> tag is more suitable for providing an article's contact details, and the <footer> tag is better for most footer content.

Syntax

The <p> tag is written as <p></p> with the paragraph text inserted between the start and end tags.

Like this:

Examples

Basic tag usage

Inside Other Elements

The <p> tag is classified as "flow content" (and "palpable content"), which means that it can appear anywhere "flow content" is expected. Here's an example of the <p> tag being used within a <blockquote> tag.

List Elements & the <p> Tag

List elements cannot be children of a <p> element. Therefore, you cannot place <ul> or <ol> tags inside the <p> tag.

Here are two methods for dealing with lists within a sentence.

Multiple <p> Tags

One option is to close the first <p> tag before the list, then open a new one after the list.

Use <div> Tags

Another option is to nest the whole sentence (including the list) within <div> tags. This is fine because <div> elements can accept <ul> or <ol>.

This is more suitable if you need to separate your paragraphs into logical groups (for example, for styling purposes).

Attributes

Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.

The <p> element accepts the following attributes.

Global Attributes

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

• accesskey
• autocapitalize
• class
• contenteditable
• data-*
• dir
• draggable
• hidden
• id
• inputmode
• is
• itemid
• itemprop
• itemref
• itemscope
• itemtype
• lang
• part
• slot
• spellcheck
• style
• tabindex
• title
• translate

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handlers

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.

• onabort
• onauxclick
• onblur
• oncancel
• oncanplay
• oncanplaythrough
• onchange
• onclick
• onclose
• oncontextmenu
• oncopy
• oncuechange
• oncut
• ondblclick
• ondrag
• ondragend
• ondragenter
• ondragexit
• ondragleave
• ondragover
• ondragstart
• ondrop
• ondurationchange
• onemptied
• onended
• onerror
• onfocus
• onformdata
• oninput
• oninvalid
• onkeydown
• onkeypress
• onkeyup
• onlanguagechange
• onload
• onloadeddata
• onloadedmetadata
• onloadstart
• onmousedown
• onmouseenter
• onmouseleave
• onmousemove
• onmouseout
• onmouseover
• onmouseup
• onpaste
• onpause
• onplay
• onplaying
• onprogress
• onratechange
• onreset
• onresize
• onscroll
• onsecuritypolicyviolation
• onseeked
• onseeking
• onselect
• onslotchange
• onstalled
• onsubmit
• onsuspend
• ontimeupdate
• ontoggle
• onvolumechange
• onwaiting
• onwheel

Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.

For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.