HTML language Attribute

Posted in HTML Tutorial

Updated on Oct 29, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 37 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The language attribute is used in HTML to specify the primary language of the content within the <html> tag.

This attribute aids in web accessibility and search engine optimization by indicating the language of the text to browsers and other software.

🎯 Purpose of language

The primary purpose of the language attribute is to declare the language of the document's content. Search engines use this information to properly index and rank web pages, and it also helps assistive technologies provide better accessibility features, such as text-to-speech conversion.

💎 Values

The language attribute accepts language codes as values, which conform to the ISO 639-1 standard. Common values include:

en: English
fr: French
de: German
es: Spanish
ja: Japanese
zh: Chinese
and many more...

📄 Implementation Example:

Here's a simple example of how to use the language attribute in an HTML document:

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>My Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
  <p>This is a sample paragraph.</p>
</body>
</html>

🧠 How it Works

In this example, the language attribute is set to "en" (English) in the opening <html> tag, indicating that the content of the document is primarily in English.

🔄 Dynamic Values with JavaScript

While the language attribute is typically static and set in the HTML, you can also dynamically change it using JavaScript if needed. Here's a basic example:

index.html

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<script>
  // Dynamically set the language attribute
  document.documentElement.lang = "fr";
</script>

🧠 How it Works

In this script, the lang property of the <html> element is set to "fr" (French). This could be useful in situations where the language of the content changes based on user interactions or other dynamic factors.

🏆 Best Practices

Always include the language attribute in your HTML documents to specify the primary language of the content.
Use the appropriate language code that corresponds to the language used in your content. This helps ensure accurate interpretation by browsers and assistive technologies.
Consider using the lang attribute on specific elements within the document to denote language changes within the content, especially in multilingual documents.

🎉 Conclusion

The language attribute is a valuable tool for indicating the primary language of HTML documents.

By using this attribute correctly, you can improve the accessibility and search engine optimization of your web pages, ultimately enhancing the user experience for all visitors.