HTML <p> Tag
Example
A paragraph is marked up as follows:
| <p>This is some text in a paragraph.</p> |
Try it yourself » (more examples at the bottom of this page) |
Definition and Usage
The <p> tag defines a paragraph.
The p element automatically creates some space before and after itself. The space is automatically applied by the browser, or you can specify it in a style sheet.
Browser Support

The <p> tag is supported in all major browsers.
Differences Between HTML and XHTML
All "presentation attributes" of the p element were deprecated
in HTML 4.01, and are not supported in XHTML 1.0 Strict DTD.
Optional Attributes
DTD indicates in which DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.
| Attribute |
Value |
Description |
DTD |
| align |
left
right
center
justify |
Deprecated. Use styles instead.
Specifies the alignment of the text
within a paragraph |
TF |
Standard Attributes
The <p> tag supports the following standard attributes:
| Attribute |
Value |
Description |
DTD |
| class |
classname |
Specifies a classname for an element |
STF |
| dir |
rtl
ltr |
Specifies the text direction
for the content in an element |
STF |
| id |
id |
Specifies a unique id for an element |
STF |
| lang |
language_code |
Specifies a language code for the content in an element |
STF |
| style |
style_definition |
Specifies an inline style for an element |
STF |
| title |
text |
Specifies extra information about an element |
STF |
| xml:lang |
language_code |
Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in
XHTML documents |
STF |
More information about Standard Attributes.
Event Attributes
The <p> tag supports the following event attributes:
| Attribute |
Value |
Description |
DTD |
| onclick |
script |
Script to be run on a mouse click |
STF |
| ondblclick |
script |
Script to be run on a mouse double-click |
STF |
| onmousedown |
script |
Script to be run when mouse button is pressed |
STF |
| onmousemove |
script |
Script to be run when mouse pointer moves |
STF |
| onmouseout |
script |
Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an
element |
STF |
| onmouseover |
script |
Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an
element |
STF |
| onmouseup |
script |
Script to be run when mouse button is released |
STF |
| onkeydown |
script |
Script to be run when a key is pressed |
STF |
| onkeypress |
script |
Script to be run when a key is pressed and released |
STF |
| onkeyup |
script |
Script to be run when a key is released |
STF |
More information about Event Attributes.
 |
Try it Yourself - Examples |
More paragraphs
Some default behaviors of paragraphs.
Poem problems
Examples of how you can NOT write a poem in HTML.
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