<var>: The Variable element

Try it

<p>
  The volume of a box is <var>l</var> × <var>w</var> × <var>h</var>, where
  <var>l</var> represents the length, <var>w</var> the width and
  <var>h</var> the height of the box.
</p>

var {
  font-weight: bold;
}

Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Usage notes

Related elements

Other elements that are used in contexts in which <var> is commonly used include:

• <code>: The HTML Code element
• <kbd>: The HTML Keyboard input element
• <samp>: The HTML Sample Output element

If you encounter code that is mistakenly using <var> for style purposes rather than semantic purposes, you should either use a <span> with appropriate CSS or, an appropriate semantic element among the following:

• <em>
• <i>
• <q>

Default style

Most browsers apply font-style to "italic" when rendering <var>. This can be overridden in CSS, like this:

var {
  font-style: normal;
}

Examples

Basic example

Here's a basic example, using <var> to denote variable names in a mathematical equation.

<p>An algebraic equation: <var>x</var> = <var>y</var> + 2</p>

Result

Overriding the default style

Using CSS, you can override the default style for the <var> element. In this example, variable names are rendered in bold, using Courier if it's available, otherwise it falls back to the default monospace font.

CSS

var {
  font:
    bold 15px "Courier",
    "Courier New",
    monospace;
}

HTML

<p>
  The variables <var>minSpeed</var> and <var>maxSpeed</var> control the minimum
  and maximum speed of the apparatus in revolutions per minute (RPM).
</p>

This HTML uses <var> to enclose the names of two variables.

Result

Technical summary

Specifications

Browser compatibility