The <br> & <wbr> elements
The <br> tag inserts a line break inside text, for cases where the break is part of the content, such as lines of a poem or an address. The <wbr> tag marks a spot where the browser may break a long word or URL if it does not fit. Both are void elements with no closing tag.
Last updated: October 3, 2026
Quick facts
| Category | Flow content, phrasing content |
| Content model | Empty — both are void elements |
| Tag omission | Void elements — no end tag, ever |
| Permitted parents | Any element that accepts phrasing content |
| DOM interface | HTMLBRElement (<br>), HTMLElement (<wbr>) |
Syntax
Live example
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Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| — | Only the global attributes apply. The old clear attribute on <br> is obsolete; use the CSS clear property instead. |
Common examples
Lines of a postal address
Inside an <address>, each line of the address really is a separate line, so <br> is the right tool.
Poems and song lyrics
The line breaks are part of the writing, so each line ends with a <br> while each verse is its own paragraph.
Text that already contains line breaks
For text from a database or a textarea, you don’t need to insert <br> tags: the CSS white-space property can show the existing line breaks.
<br> vs CSS spacing
A <br> belongs in your HTML only when the line break is part of the content: an address, a poem, lines of a signature. Everything else about spacing — gaps between paragraphs, extra room above a heading, space around a button — is design, and design belongs in CSS.
Using CSS (margin, padding, gap, white-space) keeps the spacing consistent across the site and easy to change in one place, and it adapts to phones, where hard-coded line breaks often land in odd places.
| <br> | CSS spacing | |
|---|---|---|
| Use for | Meaningful line breaks | Layout and gaps |
| Adapts to screen size | No | Yes |
| Example | Address lines | p { margin-bottom: 1em; } |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Stacking
<br>tags for spacing. Several breaks in a row create gaps that change with font size and can’t be adjusted site-wide. - Breaking lines to “make text fit”. A line break that looks right on your screen lands mid-sentence on a phone. Let text wrap naturally.
- Using
<br>between list items or form fields. Use a real list for items, and block elements or CSS for form layout. - Writing
</br>. There is no closing tag; write<br>(or<br />).
Accessibility & SEO tips
- Most screen readers don’t announce a
<br>; they simply pause. That’s fine for addresses, but it means breaks shouldn’t carry meaning that would otherwise be lost. - Text full of manual breaks reflows badly when visitors zoom in or use large fonts, which can make it hard to read for people with low vision.
- Search engines treat a
<br>like a space, so it has no SEO effect either way.
Browser support
Supported in every browser, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and their mobile versions — it has been part of HTML since the very first versions. The <wbr> element works in all current browsers too.