<small>: the side comment element

The <small> HTML 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.

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>

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.

Specifications

Browser compatibility

Desktop Mobile
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari WebView Android Chrome Android Firefox for Android Opera Android Safari on IOS Samsung Internet
small
Yes
12
1
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Yes
Yes
Yes

See also

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Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/small