👀 Live Preview
Original price struck through next to the discounted price:
Original Price: $99.99 Discounted Price: $79.99
HTML <strike> Tag
Overview
What You’ll Learn
The <strike> tag is an obsolete HTML element for strikethrough text. This guide covers its historical syntax, common use cases, modern replacements (s and del), and why you should not use it in new projects.
Legacy Syntax
How strike wrapped text in older HTML.
Obsolete Status
Why HTML5 replaced strike.
Use s Instead
Mark outdated or irrelevant content.
Use del for Edits
Mark removed document content.
Price Examples
Crossed-out prices in e-commerce.
Migration Tips
Read legacy HTML confidently.
Fundamentals
What Was the <strike> Tag?
The <strike> tag was an HTML element used to denote text that has been struck through, indicating that it is no longer accurate or relevant. This visual representation was common for deprecated information, crossed-out prices, and outdated documentation.
Obsolete in HTML5 — Do Not Use in New Projects
The strike element is no longer valid HTML5. Use <s> for content that is no longer relevant, or <del> for text removed during document editing. Browsers still render strike for backward compatibility only.
Learn strike to understand legacy tutorials and old codebases, but always choose semantic HTML5 tags in new work.
use-s-instead.html
<!-- Modern replacement -->
<s>Outdated price</s> New price: $79.99Foundation
📝 Syntax (Historical)
Wrap the text you want to strike through with opening and closing strike tags:
syntax.html
<strike>Your struck-through text here</strike>Syntax Rules
strikeis an inline element — use inside paragraphs and other text content.- Self-closing syntax (
<strike />) is not valid in HTML. - Combine with global attributes like
classandstylefor custom appearance. - In new HTML, replace every
strikewithsordelbased on meaning.
Cheat Sheet
⚡ Quick Reference
| Topic | Code Snippet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy strike | <strike>...</strike> | Obsolete |
| Modern replacement | <s>...</s> | Outdated content |
| Document edits | <del>...</del> | Removed text |
| Styled legacy | class="deprecated" | Global attr |
| Crossed-out price | <strike>$99</strike> | Use s today |
| Browser render | Still works | Backward compat |
Comparison
⚖️ <strike> vs <s> vs <del>
| Element | HTML5 Status | Meaning | Use today? |
|---|---|---|---|
<strike> | Obsolete | Presentational strikethrough | No — legacy only |
<s> | Valid HTML5 | No longer relevant or accurate | Yes — outdated prices, facts |
<del> | Valid HTML5 | Removed from the document | Yes — edit history |
Migration
🔄 Modern Replacements
When you encounter strike in old code, migrate to the correct semantic tag:
migrate-strike.html
<!-- Legacy (do not use) -->
<strike>$99.99</strike>
<!-- Modern: outdated price -->
<s>$99.99</s>
<!-- Modern: removed during editing -->
<del>Old paragraph text</del>Reference
🧰 Attributes
The <strike> tag has no tag-specific attributes. Use global attributes like class and style for additional styling.
attributes.html
<strike class="deprecated" style="text-decoration: line-through; color: #999;">Deprecated Text</strike>class / id GlobalHook for CSS classes targeting deprecated or muted strikethrough text.
class="deprecated"style GlobalInline color or text-decoration adjustments.
style="color: #999;"title OptionalTooltip explaining why the text is struck through.
title="Discontinued"lang OptionalDeclare language when struck-through text differs from the page.
lang="en"Hands-On
Examples Gallery
Historical strike patterns for deprecated notices, styled text, and crossed-out prices. Prefer s or del in new code.
📚 Common Use Cases
Historically, <strike> marked deprecated information and crossed-out prices. Use <s> for the same visual effect in modern HTML.
Styled Deprecated Text
Combine strike with class and style for a muted strikethrough appearance:
attributes.html
<p>
This is normal text, and
<strike class="deprecated" style="text-decoration: line-through; color: #999;">Deprecated Text</strike>
shows as struck-through.
</p>Deprecated Information
The primary historical use of strike was to mark text as deprecated or outdated in documentation:
deprecated-information.html
<strike>This feature has been deprecated and will be removed in the next release.</strike>Crossed-out Prices
In e-commerce websites, strike was used to display original prices that have been discounted:
crossed-out-prices.html
<p>
Original Price: <strike>$99.99</strike> Discounted Price: $79.99
</p>A11y
♿ Accessibility
- Use semantic tags — Prefer
sordelso assistive technology understands why text is struck through. - Provide context — Show the replacement value or use
titleto explain deprecated content. - Do not rely on line-through alone — Surrounding text should make the meaning clear.
- Avoid decorative strike — Do not use
strike(ors) purely for visual decoration without semantic reason.
🧠 How <strike> Worked
1
Author wraps outdated text
Deprecated or crossed-out content is placed inside strike tags.
Markup
2
Browser adds line-through
Default styles render a strikethrough line across the enclosed text.
Render
3
Reader sees superseded info
Surrounding normal text provides the current, accurate information.
UX
=
Visual deprecation cue
Users see what information is outdated — but use s or del in modern HTML.
Compatibility
Browser Support
The <strike> tag still renders in all major browsers for backward compatibility, but it is obsolete in HTML5 and should not be used in new documents.
Obsolete · Legacy Render
Still renders, but deprecated
Browsers display <strike> with line-through for old pages. Use <s> or <del> in new HTML.
100% Legacy render support
Google Chrome Renders legacy tag
Full supportMozilla Firefox Renders legacy tag
Full supportApple Safari Renders legacy tag
Full supportMicrosoft Edge Renders legacy tag
Full supportInternet Explorer Legacy support
Partial supportOpera Renders legacy tag
Full support<strike> tag Obsolete · renders in browsers
Bottom line: Browsers still render <strike>, but use <s> or <del> in all new HTML.
Wrap Up
Conclusion
Understanding the <strike> tag helps you read legacy HTML and communicate changes effectively. For new projects, replace strike with <s> or <del> to provide clear, semantic strikethrough meaning.
Pro Tips
💡 Best Practices
✅ Do
- Use
sfor outdated prices and irrelevant content in new HTML - Use
delwhen marking text removed during document editing - Combine with
insto show replacements side by side - Read legacy
strikecode and migrate to semantic tags
❌ Don’t
- Use
strikein new HTML5 documents - Apply strikethrough purely for decoration without semantic reason
- Confuse
s(irrelevant) withdel(removed) - Leave users guessing why text is crossed out
Summary
Key Takeaways
Knowledge Unlocked
Six truths every developer should know about <strike>
Bookmark these before you work with strikethrough text.
6
Core concepts 01
Obsolete
Not HTML5.
Status 02
Use s
Outdated text.
Replacement 03
Use del
Removed edits.
Replacement 04
Prices
Crossed-out.
Use case 05
class / style
Global attrs.
Attributes 06
Still Renders
Legacy compat.
Compatibility❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Historically, it displayed strikethrough text for deprecated or outdated content. It is obsolete in HTML5 — use
s or del instead.No.
strike is obsolete. Browsers still render it for backward compatibility, but do not use it in new documents.strike is obsolete. s means no longer relevant. del means removed from the document during editing.No. Use global attributes like
class, id, and style.Yes for legacy rendering in all major browsers. Internet Explorer had partial limitations in some versions, but modern browsers render it consistently.
Learn modern strikethrough
Practice legacy <strike> examples, then migrate to <s> and <del> in the Try It editor.
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