# End tag “br”.
> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/end-tag-br
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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 ``, ``, ``, ``, and ``.
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](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/syntax.html#void-elements) 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 ` `
```html
First lineSecond line
```
This triggers the "End tag `br`" validation error.
### ❌ Also invalid: pairing an opening and closing ` ` tag
```html
First line Second line
```
Even when paired with an opening ` `, the `` end tag is still invalid.
### ✅ Valid: using ` ` without a closing tag
```html
First line Second line
```
### ✅ Also valid: self-closing syntax with a trailing slash
```html
First line Second line
```
This form is acceptable in HTML5, though ` ` without the slash is more conventional in modern HTML.
### ✅ Practical example: an address block
```html
123 Main Street
Suite 400
Springfield, IL 62704
```
## Other void elements
The same rule applies to all void elements. None of these should have closing tags:
``, ``, ` `, `