HTML <dl> Definition List Tag Reference

The <dl> HTML/xHTML tag

The <dl> tag is the third most common list type in HTML (after unordered and ordered lists). It’s less flexible than its simpler siblings. What it does is provide a means to list a set of definitions, or name/description pairs.

When to use the <dl> tag (semantic use)

Describe appropriate use, when to use it, when not to use it.

A  may only contain definition terms ( <dt>..</dt>) tags and corresponding definitions (<dd>..</dd>) tags. See examples below.

OK – they can also contain a list header ( <lh>..</lh>) tag, but not many people know or use these.

When the <dl> tag was created as part of the original HTML definition, HTML was focused on marking up academic papers, where definitions of terms are commonplace. Today, HTML is used for loads more stuff, and people have found the <dl> tag useful for more than definitions. A lot of web designers argue that it’s OK to use definition lists for a range of name / value (and even name / value, value or name, name / value combos). A few will stick to the more narrow definition, but this is a bit silly.

It’s valid in all current versions of HTML and xHTML, and it should always have a closing </dl> tag.

Example of <dl> tag use

Usually you’ll have terms & definitions in pairs, as below.

Looks like…

Do

A deer, a female deer

Re

A drop of golden sun

Mi

A name I call myself

The specification seems to allow for more than one definition per term, or more than one term having the same definition, e.g.

Looks like…

Do

A deer, a female deer

Japanese for “way”

Re

A drop of golden sun

Mi

I

A name I call myself

Alternatives to the <dl> tag

You may also consider using:

Unordered lists

Use a <ul> tag where the order of items is not significant.

Ordered lists

Use an <ol> tag where the order of items is significant, e.g. listing events in time order, or race results.