You might see <nav> 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
Marks a region containing major navigation links. Separate regions should have distinct accessible names when there is more than one nav.
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.
<nav aria-label="Primary">
<a href="/">Home</a>
<a href="/lessons">Lessons</a>
</nav>What Each Part Does
- The nav landmark groups important navigation links.
- The anchor is a link when its href points to a destination.
- aria-label can supply an accessible name when appropriate.
- href is the URL or fragment destination of a link.
Assistive technology can find the navigation landmark.
Try It Yourself
Try replacing the example content with your own while keeping the valid HTML structure.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Wrapping every unrelated group of links in its own nav landmark.
- 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
- Marks a region containing major navigation links. Separate regions should have distinct accessible names when there is more than one nav.
- Assistive technology can find the navigation landmark.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.