Should we use <br> or </br> to create a line break? And what about the <hr> tag, should it be written as <hr /> or just <hr>?
I tested both <br> and </br>, and they seem to render the same. However, some online sources suggest that </br> is better.
I’m a bit confused, especially regarding self-closing tags like <hr />. Is spacing required in <hr />, or is <hr/> also acceptable?
What’s the correct and modern way to use the br tag and similar HTML elements?
Good question! The correct way to insert a line break in HTML is just <br>.
You don’t need </br>, in fact, that’s invalid HTML. <br> is a void element, meaning it doesn’t have a closing tag. Same with <hr>.
So the modern, valid way is simply <br> and <hr>.
If you’re writing XHTML or want to ensure stricter XML compatibility, you can use <br /> and <hr /> (with a space before the slash).
That’s why some sources recommend it. But in regular HTML5, both <br> and <br /> work the same. The space in <hr /> isn’t necessary but makes it slightly more readable.
Also, I’ve seen folks use </br>, and it’s a common beginner mistake - but it’s incorrect. Browsers are forgiving, so you don’t always see errors, but technically that’s invalid HTML.
Stick to <br> for breaks and <hr> or <hr/> for horizontal rules. I usually prefer <br> and <hr> for cleaner, more modern-looking code.