You might see <dt> Element reference while reading someone else’s HTML, or need it while building a page of your own. Instead of memorizing a definition, look at a working example and see when the element makes sense.
The Idea in Plain English
Gives the term or name in a description-list pair; follow it with one or more dd values.
For a reference page, pay attention to where the element is allowed, whether it needs a closing tag, and what other elements it can contain.
A Working Example
Read the sample once before copying it. Notice the element names and attribute values, then compare them with the explanation below.
<dl>
<dt>Author</dt>
<dd>Sam Patel</dd>
<dt>Published</dt>
<dd>October 2026</dd>
</dl>What Each Part Does
- A dt identifies a term or name.
- A dl groups terms with their descriptions.
- A dd provides the matching description.
Author and Published appear as term labels.
Try It Yourself
Try replacing the example content with your own while keeping the valid HTML structure.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Writing dt outside dl or forgetting its matching description.
- Changing several parts of the example at once, making it difficult to see which part caused a different result.
- Choosing a tag only because its default appearance looks right, without checking whether it describes the content correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Gives the term or name in a description-list pair; follow it with one or more dd values.
- Author and Published appear as term labels.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.