small (HTML element)
| Depr. | Empty | Version |
|---|---|---|
| No | No | HTML 2 |
| IE5.5+ | FF1+ | SA1.3+ | OP9.2+ | CH2+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Syntax
Description
The small
element is a text formatting control that reduces the size of the enclosed
text by one size decrement (based on the old HTML font sizes 1 through 7).
Each nested small element will further decrement the
size.
This element is not deprecated, but is used less frequently
now, as there are better methods for controlling text size (such as CSS),
and because the small element provides no semantic
value for any enclosed text—it simply states that the text needs to be
smaller.
The example code above would render as shown in Figure 1.
small is
applied
Some people argue that small can be used to
indicate content that’s less important than that nearby. While there is
nothing in the current HTML specification to support it, the HTML5 draft
proposal states that, “The small element represents
small print (part of a document often describing legal restrictions, such
as copyrights or other disadvantages), or other side comments.” As such,
its meaning and usage appears to be changing.
Example
Here’s an example of the
small element in use (nested):
<p>Mark tried to get out of buying a round of drinks by getting
progressively quieter as he talked: "Right, I'm off to stretch my
legs and then get a bag of peanuts ... <small>back in a minute ...
<small>everyone OK for a drink?</small></small></p>
Use This For …
This element is used to affect text content of any kind.
Compatibility
| Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Chrome | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
As one of the
earliest formatting elements, small has full browser
support.
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