HTML <Sup> Tag

Definition

The <sup> tag is an inline element that displays text as a superscript. The superscript text shows as smaller and with a higher baseline.

Example

<p>The Webmaster said superscript text is cool<sup>1</sup>.</p>
<hr>
<p>1. Said last week on The Webmaster in response to an article.</p>

Usage

• Both the opening and closing tags are required.
• The <sup> element should only be used for display purposes to adhere to any typographical conventions or standards. It does not convey any semantic meaning.
• It should not be used soley for styling purposes.
• Common uses for <sup> elements include:
  • Displaying footnotes.
  • Representing ordinal numbers, such as “1^st”
  • Mathematical equations, such as “a³ + c⁴ = 20”

Attributes

The <sup> element only supports the Global Attributes.

Best Practices

• For marking up mathematical or chemical formulas see the <sub> element.

Specification

• HTML Living Standard Specification
• HTML5 Specification

Browser Support

Desktop

Mobile