You might see <legend> 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
Provides the title for a fieldset group. It helps people understand sets of related controls, especially radio choices.
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.
<fieldset>
<legend>Preferred snack</legend>
<label><input type="radio" name="snack" value="apple"> Apple</label>
<label><input type="radio" name="snack" value="banana"> Banana</label>
</fieldset>What Each Part Does
- A legend states the question shared by a fieldset.
- A fieldset groups controls that answer one related question.
- The label tells visitors and assistive tools what a control is for.
- type chooses the relevant kind of script, input, media or embedded object.
- name identifies a field in submitted form data or a named metadata entry.
- value specifies a form value or a machine-readable value.
The options share one clear question and one name.
Try It Yourself
Try replacing the example content with your own while keeping the valid HTML structure.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Adding separate labels to options but no group legend.
- 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
- Provides the title for a fieldset group. It helps people understand sets of related controls, especially radio choices.
- The options share one clear question and one name.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.