# Stray start tag “td”. > Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/stray-start-tag-td > Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com) > License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) The HTML specification defines a strict nesting hierarchy for table elements. A `` (table data cell) must be a direct child of a `` (table row), and that `` must in turn live inside a ``, ``, ``, or ``. When the browser's parser encounters a ` ``` If you intended to display content in a non-tabular layout, use an appropriate element instead: ```html
Some content
``` ### Missing or misspelled `` tag A typo can leave ``, ``, `
` in an unexpected location, it considers it a "stray" start tag — meaning the element has no valid place in the current parsing context. This error commonly occurs in several scenarios: - A `` is placed directly inside a `` without a wrapping ``. - A ``, ``, or `` without a ``. - A `` tag was accidentally deleted or misspelled during editing, leaving its ``, while others might move the content outside the table entirely. This leads to unpredictable rendering across browsers. **Accessibility:** Screen readers and assistive technologies rely on proper table semantics to navigate and announce cell content. A stray `` element. 3. Ensure that `` is itself inside a `
` is placed directly inside `
` appears completely outside of any table structure, such as inside a `
` or the document ``. - A `
` children orphaned. ### Why this matters **Browser inconsistency:** Browsers use error-recovery algorithms to handle invalid markup, but they may handle stray table cells differently. Some browsers might silently insert an implicit `
` breaks the logical row-and-column relationship, making the data difficult or impossible for assistive technology users to interpret correctly. **Maintainability:** Invalid nesting makes your markup harder to understand, debug, and style with CSS. Table-specific CSS selectors and properties may not behave as expected when the DOM structure is malformed. ### How to fix it 1. Locate every `` element flagged by the validator. 2. Ensure it is a direct child of a `
`, ``, ``, or ``. 4. If the `` without `` ```html
` was outside a table entirely, either wrap it in a full table structure or replace it with a more appropriate element like a `
` or ``. ## Examples ### `
` directly inside `` without `` This is the most common cause. The ``: ```html
` elements are children of `` but lack a wrapping ``: ```html
Name Email
``` Wrap the cells in a `
Name Email
``` ### `		` directly inside `
Alice alice@example.com
``` ```html
Alice alice@example.com
``` ### `		` used outside any table context Sometimes a `` ends up outside a table entirely, perhaps from a copy-paste error or a templating mistake: ```html
Some content
` elements orphaned: ```html
Price $9.99
``` ```html
Price $9.99
``` ### Complete table with proper structure For reference, here is a well-structured table using `
`, and `` — all correctly nested: ```html
Product Price
Widget $4.99
Gadget $14.99
```