HTML <em> Element
The <em> element represents stress emphasis within text. It indicates that a word or phrase should receive additional emphasis when the content is read, and changing which words are emphasized can change the meaning or intent of a sentence.
Syntax
<p>You <em>must</em> save your changes before closing the file.</p>The <em> element surrounds the word or phrase that should receive stress emphasis.
Attributes
The <em> element supports the global HTML attributes. It does not have any element-specific attributes.
Example
The following example demonstrates how emphasizing different words can affect the meaning or focus of a sentence:
Usage Notes
Use the <em> element when emphasizing a word or phrase changes the stress, meaning, or intent of the sentence.
The <em> element is semantic and should not be used simply because browsers normally display its content in italics. Use CSS when italic styling is needed only for visual presentation.
The <em> and <i> elements have different purposes. <em> represents stress emphasis, while <i> represents text set apart from the surrounding content for reasons such as technical terms, foreign-language phrases, or alternate voice or mood.
An <em> element can be nested inside another <em> element when a portion of already emphasized text requires a greater degree of emphasis.
Accessibility
Use <em> when emphasis is meaningful rather than purely visual. This preserves the semantic intent of the content even when the browser's default italic styling is changed with CSS.
Do not rely on <em> alone to communicate critical instructions, warnings, or other information that visitors must notice. Clear wording and appropriate structural elements should also communicate the importance of the content.
Browser Support
Baseline: Widely available indicates a feature has been supported by core browsers for at least 30 months. At this stage, the feature is considered stable and safe for most websites to use without needing to worry about compatibility issues or fallbacks, as it is supported by the vast majority of users' devices and browser versions.
For detailed browser compatibility information, see Can I Use: HTML <em> Element .
Related Elements
<strong> - Indicates that text has strong importance, seriousness, or urgency.
<i> - Represents text set apart from surrounding content for reasons other than stress emphasis.
<b> - Draws attention to text without indicating additional importance or stress emphasis.