HTML Validation

HTML Guides for br

Learn how to identify and fix common HTML validation errors flagged by the W3C Validator — so your pages are standards-compliant and render correctly across every browser. Also check our Accessibility Guides.

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End tag “br”.

In HTML, certain elements are classified as void elements — they cannot contain any content and must not have a closing (end) tag. The   element, which represents a line break, is one of these void elements. Others include <img>, <input>, <hr>, <meta>, and <link>.

When the validator encounters , it interprets it as a closing tag for a   element. Since void elements are forbidden from having closing tags by the HTML specification, this produces the error “End tag br.”

Why this matters

Standards compliance: The WHATWG HTML Living Standard explicitly states that void elements must not have an end tag. Using  violates this rule.
Browser inconsistency: While most browsers will silently recover from  — some treat it as a  , others may ignore it entirely — relying on error recovery behavior is unpredictable and can lead to inconsistent rendering across browsers.
Code clarity: Using  suggests the element has an opening and closing pair, which is misleading to other developers reading the code. It implies a misunderstanding of how the element works.

How to fix it

Replace every instance of  with  . That’s it. There’s no need for a closing tag because   is self-closing by definition.

Both   and   (with a trailing slash) are valid in HTML5. The   form is generally preferred in HTML documents, while   is required in XHTML and sometimes used for compatibility with XML-based tools.

Examples

❌ Invalid: using an end tag for

<p>First line</br>Second line</p>

This triggers the “End tag br“ validation error.

❌ Also invalid: pairing an opening and closing tag

<p>First line<br></br>Second line</p>

Even when paired with an opening  , the  end tag is still invalid.

✅ Valid: using without a closing tag

<p>First line<br>Second line</p>

✅ Also valid: self-closing syntax with a trailing slash

<p>First line<br/>Second line</p>

This form is acceptable in HTML5, though   without the slash is more conventional in modern HTML.

✅ Practical example: an address block

<address>
  123 Main Street<br>
  Suite 400<br>
  Springfield, IL 62704
</address>

Other void elements

The same rule applies to all void elements. None of these should have closing tags:

<area>, <base>,  , <col>, <embed>, <hr>, <img>, <input>, <link>, <meta>, <source>, <track>, 

If you see a similar “End tag” error for any of these elements, the fix is the same: remove the closing tag.

Start tag “br” seen in “table”.

br
table

The <table> element in HTML has a rigid content model. Directly inside <table>, only specific elements are allowed: <caption>, <colgroup>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot>, <tr>, and <script>-supporting elements. Similarly, <tr> elements may only contain <td> and <th> elements. A   tag placed between table rows, or directly inside a <tbody> or <tr> but outside a cell, violates this content model.

This error typically happens when developers try to add vertical spacing between table rows using   tags. Browsers handle this invalid markup inconsistently — some will push the   outside the table entirely, while others may silently ignore it. This leads to unpredictable layout behavior across browsers and can confuse assistive technologies that rely on proper table structure to convey data relationships to users.

The   element is only valid inside phrasing content contexts, such as within a <td>, <th>, , , or similar elements. If you need to add spacing between rows, use CSS (margin, padding, or border-spacing) instead of inserting   tags into the table structure.

How to fix it

Remove the   if it was added accidentally or as a formatting attempt between rows.
Move the   inside a <td> or <th> if you intended it to create a line break within a cell’s content.
Use CSS for spacing if you need visual separation between rows. Apply padding to cells or use the border-spacing property on the table.

Examples

❌ Invalid: between table rows

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Item</th>
    <th>Description</th>
  </tr>
  <br>
  <tr>
    <td>Book</td>
    <td>A guide to HTML</td>
  </tr>
</table>

❌ Invalid: directly inside a <tr>

<table>
  <tr>
    <br>
    <td>Book</td>
    <td>A guide to HTML</td>
  </tr>
</table>

✅ Fixed: removed, CSS used for spacing

<table style="border-spacing: 0 1em;">
  <tr>
    <th>Item</th>
    <th>Description</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Book</td>
    <td>A guide to HTML</td>
  </tr>
</table>

✅ Valid: used inside a table cell

A   element is perfectly valid inside a <td> or <th>, where it functions as a line break within the cell’s content.

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Item</th>
    <th>Description</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Book</td>
    <td>
      Title: HTML &amp; CSS<br>
      Author: Jon Duckett
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

✅ Fixed: Using padding for row spacing

If your goal is to create visual separation between rows, CSS padding on cells is the cleanest approach:

<style>
  .spaced-table td,
  .spaced-table th {
    padding: 1em 0.5em;
  }
</style>

<table class="spaced-table">
  <tr>
    <th>Item</th>
    <th>Description</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Book</td>
    <td>A guide to HTML</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Stray start tag “br”.

A stray   happens when the   element, which is phrasing content, is placed in contexts that only allow specific children. Common mistakes include putting   directly inside <ul>, <ol>, <table>, <tr>, or outside <body>, and inserting it between block-level siblings to add spacing instead of using CSS. The validator flags this because it violates the HTML content model.

This matters for standards compliance, predictable rendering, and accessibility. Screen readers and assistive tech rely on correct structure (lists made of li, tables built from tr/td, sections within body). Misplaced   can produce confusing reading orders and inconsistent layout across browsers.

How to fix:

Keep   only where phrasing content is allowed (typically inside text-flowing elements like p, span, li, td, caption).
For spacing between blocks, use CSS margins instead of  .
For lists, use proper li items; for tables, place text inside td/th; for forms, use grouping and CSS.
Ensure no   appears outside <body> or inside elements that have restricted content models (ul, ol, table, tr, thead, tbody, tfoot, colgroup, select, dl directly, etc.).
If a line break is purely presentational across viewports, consider CSS (display:block, white-space) instead of  .

Examples

Valid use inside phrasing content

<p>
  First line.<br>
  Second line.
</p>

Invalid: directly inside a list (triggers the error)

<ul>
  <br>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
</ul>

Fix: remove the stray ; use list items only

<ul>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
</ul>

Invalid: outside <body> (triggers the error)

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <title>Stray br Tag Example</title>
</head>
<br>
<body>
  Content here.
</body>
</html>

Fix: move inside the body (or use CSS if only spacing is needed)

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <title>No Stray br Tag</title>
</head>
<body>
  Content here.<br>
  New line in body.
</body>
</html>

Invalid: as a child of <table> (triggers the error)

<table>
  <br>
  <tr>
    <td>A</td>
    <td>B</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Fix: use proper table rows and cells; place text inside cells

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>A</td>
    <td>B</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>More A</td>
    <td>More B</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Invalid: using for spacing between blocks (not allowed between siblings)

<div>Section A</div>
<br>
<div>Section B</div>

Fix: use CSS margins for spacing

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <title>Spacing with CSS</title>
  <style>
    .block { margin-bottom: 1rem; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="block">Section A</div>
  <div>Section B</div>
</body>
</html>

Valid alternatives where a break is needed in phrasing context

<li>
  Address: 123 Main St.<br>
  Suite 400
</li>

Tips:

Use exactly   (no closing tag needed) and do not self-close as XML ( ) unless your tooling requires it; both parse in HTML, but stick to HTML style for consistency.
If you see multiple “stray start tag ‘br’” errors, check parent containers: fixing the first invalid parent often resolves many subsequent errors.

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Category: HTML Validation
Engine: W3C Validator
Total guides: 3

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HTML Guides for br

Why this matters

How to fix it

Examples

❌ Invalid: using an end tag for <br>

❌ Also invalid: pairing an opening and closing <br> tag

✅ Valid: using <br> without a closing tag

✅ Also valid: self-closing syntax with a trailing slash

✅ Practical example: an address block

Other void elements

How to fix it

Examples

❌ Invalid: <br> between table rows

❌ Invalid: <br> directly inside a <tr>

✅ Fixed: <br> removed, CSS used for spacing

✅ Valid: <br> used inside a table cell

✅ Fixed: Using padding for row spacing

Examples

Valid use inside phrasing content

Invalid: <br> directly inside a list (triggers the error)

Fix: remove the stray <br>; use list items only

Invalid: <br> outside <body> (triggers the error)

Fix: move <br> inside the body (or use CSS if only spacing is needed)

Invalid: <br> as a child of <table> (triggers the error)

Fix: use proper table rows and cells; place text inside cells

Invalid: using <br> for spacing between blocks (not allowed between siblings)

Fix: use CSS margins for spacing

Valid alternatives where a break is needed in phrasing context