<br>
The <br> element produces a line break in text. It is a void element (self-closing) that forces subsequent content to begin on a new line without creating a new paragraph or block.
This page was last updated on 2025-11-27
Syntax
<br>
Or in XHTML style:
<br />
Attributes
- class - CSS class name (rarely used)
- id - Unique identifier (rarely used)
- clear - Deprecated; use CSS clear property instead
Examples
Address formatting:
<p>John Smith<br>
123 Main Street<br>
Dublin, Ireland</p>
Poetry or verse:
<p>Roses are red,<br>
Violets are blue,<br>
HTML is great,<br>
And so are you.</p>
Multiple line breaks (avoid this):
<p>First line.<br><br>Text after extra space.</p>
When to Use
Use <br> only when a line break is semantically meaningful, such as in postal addresses, poetry, song lyrics, or code samples where line breaks are part of the content itself. Do not use <br> to create spacing between paragraphs or to control layout - use CSS margins and padding instead.
Common misuse: Using multiple <br> tags to create vertical spacing. This creates accessibility and maintenance problems. Instead, use proper block elements like <p> with CSS margin styling.
