JavaScript String blink() Method

What You’ll Learn

String.prototype.blink() is a deprecated HTML wrapper method (same API as MDN String.prototype.blink()). It returns a string that wraps your text in a <blink> tag. Learn what it builds, why blinking text was removed, why accessibility standards discourage it, and what to do instead — with five examples and try-it labs.

Introduction

Early JavaScript included helpers that wrapped text in HTML presentation tags — blink(), big(), bold(), italics(), and others. They made it easy to inject markup with innerHTML.

Today those wrappers are deprecated. blink() may still return a string for compatibility, but the <blink> element was removed from modern browsers. Blinking text is discouraged for accessibility, and the element is gone.

This page is part of JavaScript String Methods. Related topics include big() and bold().

Understanding the blink() Method

Calling str.blink() does not create a live DOM node and does not take arguments. It concatenates an HTML string: <blink> + text + </blink>.

• It is an instance method on strings (auto-boxed if needed).
• It returns a new string — the original is unchanged.
• No parameters — just str.blink().
• Prefer non-blinking emphasis for real UI.

📝 Syntax

General form of String.prototype.blink:

str.blink()

Parameters

None.

Return value

A string beginning with a <blink> start tag, then the text of str, then a </blink> end tag.

Common patterns

"Hello, world".blink();
// 'Hello, world'

// Prefer static emphasis — do not blink text
const el = document.getElementById("yourElemId");
el.style.fontWeight = "700";

Examples Gallery

Examples follow MDN String.blink() patterns. Use View Output or Try It Yourself for each case.

const contentString = "Hello, world";
contentString.blink();
// 'Hello, world'

<blink>Hello, world</blink>

"".blink();           // ''
"A < B".blink();      // 'A < B'
typeof "x".blink();   // "string"

<blink></blink>
<blink>A < B</blink>
string

const contentString = "Hello, world";
const html = contentString.blink();
// document.body.innerHTML = html;  // legacy pattern — avoid in new apps

console.log(html);
// Warning:  is not a valid element in modern HTML

<blink>Hello, world</blink>
(invalid modern markup — <blink> was removed; do not blink text)

"Hi".blink();   // 'Hi'
"Hi".big();     // 'Hi'
"Hi".bold();    // 'Hi'
"Hi".italics(); // 'Hi'

<blink>Hi</blink>
<big>Hi</big>
<b>Hi</b>
<i>Hi</i>

const el = document.createElement("p");
el.textContent = "Hello, world";
el.style.fontWeight = "700";
el.style.color = "#b45309";

// document.body.appendChild(el);
console.log(el.style.fontWeight);
console.log(el.outerHTML);

700
<p style="font-weight: 700; color: rgb(180, 83, 9);">Hello, world</p>

🚀 Common Use Cases

• Reading legacy tutorials — recognize HTML wrapper methods in old samples.
• Migrating old scripts — remove blink() and use non-flashing emphasis.
• Teaching string immutability — show that methods return new strings.
• Not for new apps — do not use blink() to flash UI text.
• Accessibility-first UI — use calm visual hierarchy instead of flashing attention.
• Safer markup — prefer textContent + CSS over innerHTML strings.

📝 Notes

• blink() is deprecated — standardized only for compatibility.
• The <blink> element was removed from modern browsers.
• Blinking content fails accessibility guidelines (distraction / seizure risk).
• It returns a string, not a DOM node.
• It takes no parameters.
• Other HTML wrappers (big(), bold(), fontcolor(), …) share the same fate.
• Avoid assigning untrusted strings to innerHTML.

💡 Best Practices