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HTML <acronym> Tag

The <acronym> tag in HTML was used to define an acronym — a word formed from the initial letters of other words, such as NASA or HTML.When a user hovered over the acronym, the browser could display its full meaning using the title attribute.This tag is deprecated in HTML5 and replaced by the <abbr> tag. [&hellip;]

Nov 2, 2025HTMLHTML TagsTutorials

The <acronym> tag in HTML was used to define an acronym — a word formed from the initial letters of other words, such as NASA or HTML.
When a user hovered over the acronym, the browser could display its full meaning using the title attribute.
This tag is deprecated in HTML5 and replaced by the <abbr> tag.

Syntax

<acronym title="Full form">ACRONYM</acronym>

Attributes

AttributeDescription
titleSpecifies the full form or description of the acronym.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Acronym Tag Example</title>
</head>
<body>

<h2>HTML &lt;acronym&gt; Tag Example</h2>

<p>
  The <acronym title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</acronym> 
  defines the structure of web pages.
</p>

<p><strong>Modern Alternative:</strong> Use &lt;abbr&gt; tag instead:</p>
<p>
  The <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> 
  defines the structure of web pages.
</p>

</body>
</html>

Output

Browser Output

When you hover the mouse over the acronym (e.g., HTML), the browser displays the full form (HyperText Markup Language).
Please use our TryIt Editor to see the output.

Browser Support

Chrome
Chrome		Firefox
Firefox		Edge
Edge		Safari
Safari		Opera
Opera		IE
IE9+
⚠️Partial⚠️Partial⚠️Partial⚠️Partial⚠️Partial✅Yes

It has limited browser support and tag has been depricated.

Notes

  • The <acronym> tag is deprecated in HTML5.
  • Use the <abbr> tag instead, which provides the same functionality and is supported by modern browsers.
  • The title attribute is what displays the tooltip on hover.

Conclusion

The <acronym> tag was once used to define acronyms in HTML documents, but it is now obsolete.
For modern, accessible, and valid HTML, use the <abbr> tag instead.