HTML Block vs. Inline Elements: A Complete Guide

Learn the difference between block-level and inline elements in HTML. This tutorial explains their behavior, provides examples with interactive code, and helps you master HTML layout.

Understanding Block and Inline Elements in HTML

Every HTML element has a default display behavior that determines how it's rendered on a webpage. The two most fundamental display types are "block" and "inline."

Block-Level Elements

Block-level elements always start on a new line and take up the full width available to them. The browser automatically adds space (margin) before and after these elements.

• <p> (paragraph): Defines a paragraph of text.
• <div> (division): Defines a section or division in an HTML document. It's a very versatile element used for grouping and structuring content.

Both <p> and <div> are examples of block-level elements.

<p>Hello World</p>
<div>Hello World</div>

(Shows "Hello World" on separate lines, each taking full width)

Inline Elements

Unlike block-level elements, inline elements don't start on a new line. They only take up as much width as necessary for their content.

Here's an example of an inline element (<span>) within a paragraph:

<p>This is a <span>span</span> element inside a paragraph.</p>

(Shows "This is a span element inside a paragraph." with "span" inline within the paragraph)

Understanding the difference between block and inline elements is crucial for controlling the layout and structure of your web pages.