Small represents side comments, copyright notes, or fine print that has less prominence than the main text.
What You Need to Know
Its default smaller font is not permission to hide important information. Readers should still be able to see and understand the note.
Example: See It in Action
Try this markup in a fresh practice file. The next section explains the parts worth paying attention to.
This is a short HTML fragment. To try it as a webpage, put it inside the body element of a complete HTML document.
<p>Join our Saturday workshop.</p>
<small>Places are limited. Registration closes Friday.</small>
<p>Always keep important details readable.</p>Let’s Understand the Example
- Small marks a side note or fine print, without hiding important information.
- A p groups a paragraph of related text. Start another paragraph for a new thought.
Look for the text “Join our Saturday workshop.” in the page. If the visible result surprises you, inspect the rendered elements to see what the browser actually built.
What Should You See?
The page should include “Join our Saturday workshop.”. If it looks different from what you expected, open developer tools and compare the source with the elements the browser created.
Try removing one piece of markup in a scratch copy, refresh the page, and compare the behavior. This is often the fastest way to understand what that piece contributes.
Try It Yourself
- Add a clear event note without repeating the main description.
- Save your changes, open or refresh the page, and compare the result with the original example.
- Tell a friend what your change did. If you are not sure, undo it, refresh the page, and compare.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Putting critical safety instructions in tiny small text.
- Avoid picking tags just for their default bold, italic or spaced appearance. Use CSS for presentation.
Key Takeaways
- Small represents side comments, copyright notes, or fine print that has less prominence than the main text.
- Small marks a side note or fine print, without hiding important information.
- Its default smaller font is not permission to hide important information. Readers should still be able to see and understand the note.