Optional Tags in HTML 4

Published on Jun 1, 2008 (updated Feb 5, 2024), filed under development (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

This and many other posts are also available as a pretty, well-behaved ebook: On Web Development.

For your convenience, here’s a list of all optional tags according to the HTML 4.01 Strict DTD. Omitting these tags allows to save markup and thus file size—if you choose to. I created this list because even nine years after release of the HTML 4 specification, there still is no list like this.

</area>
</base>
<body>
</body>
</br>
</col>
</colgroup>
</dd>
</dt>
<head>
</head>
</hr>
<html>
</html>
</img>
</input>
</li>
</link>
</meta>
</option>
</p>
</param>
<tbody>
</tbody>
</td>
</tfoot>
</th>
</thead>
</tr>

These are indeed tags, not elements. The list might explain the simplicity of the supposedly best HTML template. Thanks Rupert for the inspiration, and others for the encouragement to extend it (HTML 5? [which I made available 11 years later]).

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager for small and large enterprises, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)