Last Modified: 2012-01-06

Reference: Allowed nesting of elements in HTML 4 (and XHTML 1.0)

Reference: Allowed nesting of elements in HTML 4 Strict (and XHTML 1.0 Strict)

HTML Allowed Nesting

Allowed nesting of elements in HTML 4 (and XHTML 1.0)

Nesting rules for HTML 4.01 Transitional

HTML

  • HEAD
  • TITLE (required)
  • SCRIPT, STYLE
  • CDATA
  • ISINDEX, BASE, META, LINK (empty)
  • OBJECT
  • BODY
  • INS, DEL (special rules apply)
  • flow
  • flow
  • block
  • P, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6
  • inline
  • UL, OL
  • LI
  • flow
  • DIR, MENU
  • LI
  • inline exluding block
  • DL
  • DT
  • inline
  • DD
  • flow
  • PRE
  • inline excluding IMG, OBJECT, APPLET, BIG, SMALL, SUB, SUP, FONT, BASEFONT
  • DIV, CENTER, BLOCKQUOTE, IFRAME
  • flow
  • NOSCRIPT
  • flow
  • NOFRAMES
  • flow
  • FORM
  • flow excluding an enclosed FORM
  • ISINDEX, HR (empty)
  • TABLE
  • CAPTION
  • inline
  • COLGROUP
  • COL (empty)
  • COL (empty)
  • THEAD, TBODY, TBODY
  • TR
  • TH, TD
  • flow
  • ADDRESS
  • inline
  • P
  • inline
  • FIELDSET
  • #PCDATA
  • flow
  • LEGEND
  • inline
  • inline
  • #PCDATA
  • TT, I, B, U, S, STRIKE, BIG, SMALL, FONT, EM, STRONG, DFN, CODE, SAMP, KBD, VAR, CITE, ABBR, ACRONYM, SUB, SUP, Q, SPAN, BDO
  • inline
  • A
  • inline excluding an enclosed A element
  • OBJECT, APPLET
  • PARAM (empty)
  • flow
  • IMG, BASEFONT, BR (empty)
  • SCRIPT
  • CDATA
  • MAP
  • AREA (empty)
  • block
  • INPUT (empty)
  • SELECT
  • OPTGROUP
  • OPTION
  • OPTION
  • TEXTAREA
  • LABEL
  • LABEL excluding enclosed LABEL
  • BUTTON
  • flow excluding A, INPUT, SELECT, TEXTAREA, LABEL, BUTTON, FORM, ISINDEX, FIELDSET, IFRAME

    • Nesting rules for HTML 4.01 Frameset

    HTML

  • HEAD
  • FRAMESET
  • FRAMESET (note recursion)
  • FRAME (empty)
  • NOFRAMES
  • BODY

    • Allowed nesting of elements in HTML 4 Strict (and XHTML 1.0 Strict)

    HTML

  • HEAD
  • TITLE (required)
  • SCRIPT, STYLE
  • CDATA
  • BASE, META, LINK (empty)
  • OBJECT
  • BODY
  • INS, DEL (special rules apply)
  • flow
  • block
  • inline
  • SCRIPT
  • CDATA
  • block
  • P, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6
  • inline
  • #PCDATA
  • TT, I, B, BIG, SMALL, EM, STRONG, DFN, CODE, SAMP, KBD, VAR, CITE, ABBR, ACRONYM, SUB, SUP, Q, SPAN, BDO
  • inline
  • A
  • inline excluding an enclosed A element
  • OBJECT
  • PARAM (empty)
  • flow
  • IMG, BR (empty)
  • SCRIPT
  • CDATA
  • MAP
  • AREA (empty)
  • block
  • INPUT (empty)
  • SELECT
  • OPTGROUP
  • OPTION
  • OPTION
  • TEXTAREA
  • LABEL
  • LABEL excluding enclosed LABEL
  • BUTTON
  • flow excluding A, INPUT, SELECT, TEXTAREA, LABEL, BUTTON, FORM, FIELDSET
  • UL, OL
  • LI
  • flow
  • DL
  • DT
  • inline
  • DD
  • flow
  • PRE
  • inline excluding IMG, OBJECT, BIG, SMALL, SUB, SUP
  • DIV
  • flow
  • BLOCKQUOTE
  • block
  • SCRIPT
  • CDATA
  • NOSCRIPT
  • flow
  • FORM
  • block excluding an enclosed FORM
  • SCRIPT
  • CDATA
  • HR (empty)
  • TABLE
  • CAPTION
  • inline
  • COLGROUP
  • COL (empty)
  • COL (empty)
  • THEAD, TBODY, TBODY
  • TR
  • TH, TD
  • flow
  • ADDRESS
  • inline
  • FIELDSET
  • #PCDATA
  • inline
  • flow
  • LEGEND
  • inline