The HTML <small> element represents side-comments and small print, like copyright and legal text, independent of its styled presentation. By default, it renders text within it one font-size smaller, such as from small to x-small.
The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.
The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.
| Content categories | Flow content, phrasing content |
|---|---|
| Permitted content | Phrasing content |
| Tag omission | None, must have both a start tag and an end tag. |
| Permitted parents | Any element that accepts phrasing content, or any element that accepts flow content. |
| Implicit ARIA role | No corresponding role |
| Permitted ARIA roles | Any |
| DOM interface | HTMLElement |
Attributes
This element only includes the global attributes.
Examples
Basic usage
<p>This is the first sentence.
<small>This whole sentence is in small letters.</small>
</p>
CSS alternative
<p>This is the first sentence.
<span style="font-size:0.8em">This whole sentence is in small
letters.</span>
</p>
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Living Standard The definition of '<small>' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
| HTML5 The definition of '<small>' in that specification. |
Recommendation | |
| HTML 4.01 Specification The definition of '<small>' in that specification. |
Recommendation |
Notes
Although the <small> element, like the <b> and <i> elements, may be perceived to violate the principle of separation between structure and presentation, all three are valid in HTML5. Authors are encouraged to use their best judgement when determining whether to use <small> or CSS.
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser