Differentiate between div and span?

Span vs. div in HTML

Span and div are both generic HTML elements that group together related parts of a web page. However, they serve different functions. A div element is used for block-level organization and styling of page elements, whereas a span element is used for inline organization and styling.

div:

The div (division) element is a generic block-level element, most often used to divide page content into blocks. A block element is a page element that starts a new line and has a width equal to the entire page or the parent container.

You’ll very often see divs used to group related paragraphs, images, headings, and links. For example, a three-paragraph article may be enclosed in a div, and a navigation menu containing links might be enclosed in another div. Using divs this way makes it easier to identify different sections of a page and apply styling to them with CSS.

A basic example of a div element in HTML looks like this:

<div id=“paragraphs”>

????<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

????<p>This is my second paragraph.</p>

????<p>This is my final paragraph.</p>???

?????</div>

span:

The span element is a generic inline element, typically used to apply styling to a portion of inline content. An inline element does not start a new line and only takes up as much space on the page as its content. Span tags are used on small segments of text, links, images, and other HTML elements that appear in line with the surrounding content.

A basic example of a span element in HTML looks like this:

<p>This is a paragraph with <span id=“special-text”>a little something extra</span> inside it.</p>

To summarize, a div tag creates a block-level element while a <span> tag wraps around an inline element. Despite their differences, both are used to group like elements for structural and/or styling purposes.

span vs. div Examples:

Let’s now look at a couple of examples of span and div that demonstrate their differences and applications.

Here’s an instance of two <div> tags, followed by two <span> tags. I’ve applied a unique background color to each element to show their size —; notice how divs take the entire width of the page while span tags only take up the space of their content. Also, each div adds a line break after its content, but the span elements do not.

Next is an example more representative of how you’ll see div and span used together on web pages. Here, divs separate out larger chunks of content, and spans wrap segments within this divs.ss

div and span: Know the Difference:

Divs and spans are among the most common #html elements, and for good reason — they let you structure and style your HTML pages exactly to your specifications. Still, they both have their own specific purpose, and understanding the differences between them ensures that you’re using each properly and only when necessary. Ultimately, this will save you a lot of confusion and scrapped code down the road.

Regards,

Ehsan Shaw