Table of Contents
When to Use the Element
Basic Syntax
Styling the Mark Element with CSS
Practical Use Cases
1. Highlighting Search Terms
2. Quoting with Emphasis
3. Annotating Text
Accessibility Considerations
Home Web Front-end HTML Tutorial How to use the HTML mark element

How to use the HTML mark element

Aug 15, 2025 pm 12:44 PM

The element is used to highlight text for reference or notation, such as search results or key phrases, with semantic meaning. 2. Use the basic syntax <mark>Highlighted text</mark> to apply highlighting. 3. Customize appearance with CSS, such as changing background color, padding, or adding border-radius. 4. Apply in practical cases like highlighting search terms, emphasizing parts of quotes, or annotating educational content. 5. Ensure accessibility by maintaining color contrast and providing context when the highlight conveys important information, since has no ARIA role and isn’t announced as highlighted by screen readers. The tag should be used contextually to add meaningful structure, not merely for decorative purposes.

How to use the HTML mark element

The HTML <mark></mark> element is used to highlight text for reference or notation purposes, typically due to its relevance in a particular context. It’s often rendered as yellow background by default in browsers, but you can customize its appearance with CSS.

How to use the HTML mark element

Here’s how to use the <mark></mark> element effectively:

When to Use the <mark></mark> Element

The <mark></mark> element is best suited for:

How to use the HTML mark element
  • Highlighting search results within a page
  • Marking key phrases in a document
  • Indicating relevant or important text in a specific context
  • Showing text that is being referenced or quoted elsewhere

It’s not meant for general emphasis (use <em></em> or <strong></strong> for that), but rather for visual highlighting with semantic meaning.

Basic Syntax

<mark>Highlighted text</mark>

Example:

How to use the HTML mark element
<p>Search results for "HTML": The <mark>HTML</mark> specification defines the structure of web pages.</p>

This clearly shows that the word "HTML" is the search term being highlighted.

Styling the Mark Element with CSS

While browsers usually apply a yellow background, you can customize it:

mark {
  background-color: #ff6f61;
  color: white;
  padding: 2px 4px;
  border-radius: 3px;
}

Or use different styles for different contexts:

<mark class="highlight-blue">Important note</mark>
mark.highlight-blue {
  background-color: #add8e6;
  color: #000;
}

Practical Use Cases

1. Highlighting Search Terms

When a user searches on your site, wrap matching keywords:

<p>Learn how to use <mark>HTML</mark> and CSS to build websites.</p>

2. Quoting with Emphasis

In a quote, highlight the part being discussed:

<blockquote>
  The author wrote: "Understanding <mark>semantic HTML</mark> improves accessibility."
</blockquote>

3. Annotating Text

Use in educational content to draw attention:

<p>The chemical formula for water is H<sub>2</sub><mark>O</mark>.</p>

Accessibility Considerations

  • The <mark></mark> element itself has no inherent ARIA role, so it doesn’t announce as "highlighted" to screen readers.
  • If the highlight carries important meaning (e.g., "required fields marked"), add context in text or use aria-label if needed.
  • Ensure sufficient color contrast when customizing the background.

Basically, use <mark></mark> when you want to draw visual attention to text in a way that makes sense contextually — not just for decoration. It’s a small tag, but adds meaningful structure when used appropriately.

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