# End tag “i” violates nesting rules. > Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/end-tag-i-violates-nesting-rules > Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com) > License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) HTML follows a strict stack-based nesting model. When you open an element, it becomes the "current" element, and any new element you open becomes a child of it. Closing tags must mirror the opening order in reverse. When the validator encounters `` but the most recently opened unclosed element is something else — like ``, ``, ``, or `` — the nesting rules are violated because the `` element and the other element are overlapping rather than containing one another. For example, if you write `.........`, the `` and `` elements overlap. The `` tries to close while `` is still open inside it, and then `` tries to close outside of ``. This creates an ambiguous structure that no valid DOM tree can represent as written. Browsers will attempt to "fix" this using error-recovery algorithms, but the result may differ across browsers and is unlikely to match your intent. ### Why this matters - **Unpredictable rendering:** Browser error-recovery can silently restructure your markup, leading to missing styles, broken links, or misplaced text. - **Accessibility:** Screen readers rely on a well-formed DOM tree. Mis-nested elements can cause assistive technology to misinterpret the structure, reading content out of order or missing emphasis cues entirely. - **Maintainability:** Overlapping tags make code harder to read and debug. Future edits are more likely to introduce additional errors. ### Common causes - **Overlapping inline elements:** Opening `` and then `` (or ``, ``, ``, etc.) but closing `` before ``. - **Tags crossing an anchor boundary:** Starting `` outside an `` element but closing it inside, or vice versa. - **Copy-paste errors:** Duplicating a block of HTML that includes icons (e.g., Font Awesome `` tags) or screen-reader-only `` elements, then editing part of it without fixing the tag order. - **Mixing presentational and semantic markup:** Wrapping `` around content that already contains `` or ``, then accidentally closing in the wrong sequence. ### How to fix it 1. **Identify the overlapping pair.** The validator message usually points to the line where `` appears. Look for the nearest unclosed element that was opened after ``. 2. **Reorder the closing tags** so they mirror the opening order in reverse. If you opened `` then ``, close `` then ``. 3. **If the overlap is intentional** (e.g., you want bold-italic text that transitions to just bold), restructure by closing and reopening elements at the boundary rather than overlapping them. 4. **Consider semantic alternatives.** The `` element is for idiomatic text (technical terms, foreign phrases, thoughts). If you need emphasis, use ``. If you only need italic styling, use CSS `font-style: italic;`. Whichever element you choose, the nesting rules are the same. ## Examples ### Incorrect — overlapping `` and `` The `` closes while `` is still open inside it: ```html About Us
``` ### Correct — properly nested Close `` first, then ``: ```html
About Us
``` ### Incorrect — `` crossing an anchor boundary ```html
Contact us for more info.
``` ### Correct — keep `` fully inside or fully outside the link ```html
Contact us for more info.
``` ### Incorrect — overlapping inline elements with a style transition Trying to make "bold italic" transition to "just bold" by overlapping: ```html
Italic and bold-italic then just bold.
``` ### Correct — close and reopen at the boundary ```html
Italic and bold-italic then just bold.
``` ### Incorrect — icon element mis-nested with a span ```html ``` ### Correct — close `` before `` ```html ``` A quick way to check your nesting is to read through your opening tags in order and then confirm the closing tags appear in exactly the reverse order. If you opened ``, ``, ``, the closing sequence must be ``, ``, ``. When in doubt, use your editor's bracket-matching or tag-highlighting feature to visually trace each pair.