HTML Validation

Stray start tag “td”.

About This HTML Issue

A td (table cell) start tag must be placed inside a tr (table row) within a table.

The td element represents a cell of a table that contains data. According to HTML specifications, a td must be a child of a tr, which in turn must be a child of a table. Placing a td directly outside a tr or outside a table is invalid and causes the “stray start tag ‘td’” error in the W3C Validator.

Incorrect usage:

<table>
  <td>Cell data</td>
</table>

In the above example, the td is not inside a tr.

Correct usage:

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>Cell data</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Here, the td is nested inside a tr, which is correctly within a table. This will resolve the validation error.

Learn more:

Last reviewed: July 31, 2025

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Reading time

1 min read

Category

HTML Validation

Engine

W3C Validator

Last reviewed

July 31, 2025

Resources

Related W3C Validator Issues (37)

A table row was X columns wide, which is less than the column count established by the first row (Y).

A <table> contains a <tr> row that has less <td> columns than the column count established by the first row. Check the table to ensure all rows have the same number of columns.

For example, in the following table, the first <tr> row defines that it’s 2 columns wide, but the second <tr> row tries to use only 1 column:

<table>
<!-- This first row sets the table as 2 columns wide -->

  <tr>
    <td>First</td>
    <td>Second</td>
  </tr>

<!-- This second row has only 1 column -->

  <tr>
    <td>Wrong</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Stray start tag “br”.

A stray <br> happens when the <br> element, which is phrasing content, is placed in contexts that only allow specific children. Common mistakes include putting <br> 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 <br> can produce confusing reading orders and inconsistent layout across browsers.

How to fix:

Keep <br> 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 <br>.
For lists, use proper li items; for tables, place text inside td/th; for forms, use grouping and CSS.
Ensure no <br> 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 <br>.

Examples

Valid use inside phrasing content

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

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

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

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

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

Invalid: <br> 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 <br> 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: <br> 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 <br> 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 <br> (no closing tag needed) and do not self-close as XML (<br />) 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.

Stray start tag “div”.

A <div> tag appears where the HTML structure does not expect it, often due to incorrect nesting or missing closing tags.

HTML elements must be properly nested and closed according to the specifications outlined by the HTML standard. A stray start tag usually occurs when a block-level element like <div> is used in a context where only phrasing (inline) content is permitted, or if required closing tags (such as </li>, </tr>, or </td>) are missing, causing the parser to be out of sync.

Incorrect Example: div after closing the html tag

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="">
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<p></p>
</body>
</html>
<div>
  some extra content
</div>

In the above, the <div> at the bottom is not valid because it appears after closing the html tag.

Always close elements properly and place block-level elements like <div> only inside appropriate containers. If your issue occurs elsewhere, look for missing closing tags or incorrect placement of the <div> relative to tables, lists, or other structural elements.

Stray start tag “head”.

A <head> start tag has been found in an unexpected place in the document structure. Check that the <head> section appears before the <body> section, and that is not duplicated.

The <head> section of an HTML document is the container of metadata about the document, and must appear before the <body> section. A common cause of this issue is duplicated <head> sections.

Here is an example of a minimal HTML document structure:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Test</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p></p>
  </body>
</html>

Stray start tag “html”.

Stray start tag “link”.

A stray start tag “link” error occurs when a <link> element appears outside the <head> section, for example after the document’s closing </html> tag.

The <link> element is used to reference external resources like stylesheets and must appear inside the document’s <head> section, before </head>.

Valid usage example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>Link Tag Example</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/app.css">
  </head>
  <body>
  </body>
</html>

In this example, the <link> tag is correctly placed within the <head> element.

Stray start tag “noscript”.

The “Stray start tag noscript“ error in the W3C HTML Validator indicates that the <noscript> tag has been used incorrectly or is placed in an invalid location within your HTML document.

The <noscript> tag is used to define alternative content for users who have disabled JavaScript in their browsers or for browsers that do not support JavaScript.

Common Causes:

Position of <noscript>: The <noscript> tag should be placed correctly within sections where it is allowed.
Nested Improperly: The <noscript> tag should not be placed inside other tags where it is not valid.

Correct Usage:

Within <head>:

 <head>
     <title>Example Page</title>
     <script>
         // Some JavaScript code
     </script>
     <noscript>
         <style>
             /* Alternative styling if JavaScript is disabled */
         </style>
     </noscript>
 </head>

Within <body>:

 <body>
     <h1>Welcome to the Example Page</h1>
     <script>
         // Some JavaScript code
     </script>
     <noscript>
         <p>JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Please enable JavaScript for the full experience.</p>
     </noscript>
 </body>

Fixing the Issue:

Inside Existing Tags: Ensure the <noscript> tag is not placed inside other tags where it cannot be parsed correctly.

<!-- Incorrect -->


 <div>
     <noscript>
         <p>JavaScript is disabled in your browser.</p>
     </noscript>
 </div>
 
<!-- Correct -->


 <noscript>
     <div>
         <p>JavaScript is disabled in your browser.</p>
     </div>
 </noscript>

Placement in Body or Head: Verify that the <noscript> tag is placed inside the <body> or <head> based on what content it’s providing a fallback for.

<!-- Incorrect (inside an illegal tag) -->


 <div>
     Some content
     <noscript><p>JavaScript is disabled in your browser.</p></noscript>
 </div>

<!-- Correct -->


 <div>Some content</div>
 <noscript><p>JavaScript is disabled in your browser.</p></noscript>

Summary:

Place <noscript> only within accepted sections (<head> or <body>).
Avoid nesting <noscript> inside other tags improperly.

Stray start tag “script”.

A <script> start tag has been found in an unexpected place in the document structure. Check that the <script> section appears within the <head> or <body> sections.

Here’s an example of a script inserted in the head of the document:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Test</title>
    <script>
      console.log("Hello from the head");
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p></p>
  </body>
</html>

Stray start tag “section”.

The “Stray start tag “section”” error in the W3C HTML Validator typically occurs when a <section> tag appears in an unexpected location within your HTML document structure. This can happen if the <section> tag is not positioned correctly within the HTML5 content model.

Here’s a focused guide to fix this issue:

1. Check the Parent Element

Make sure the <section> tag is placed within elements where it is allowed. According to the HTML5 specification:

A <section> element should be placed within the <body> tag.
It should not be a direct child of an inline element or an element that does not support flow content.

2. Correct Nesting Within Elements

Ensure your HTML structure follows a logical hierarchy and that the <section> element is not incorrectly nested. This example shows a correct usage of the <section> tag:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Correct Usage of Section</title>
</head>
<body>
    <header>
        <h1>Page Title</h1>
    </header>
    
    <nav>
<!-- Navigation links -->

    </nav>
    
    <main>
        <section>
            <h2>Section Title</h2>
            <p>Content for the first section.</p>
        </section>
        
        <section>
            <h2>Another Section Title</h2>
            <p>Content for the second section.</p>
        </section>
    </main>
    
    <footer>
        <p>Footer content</p>
    </footer>
</body>
</html>

3. Check for Mistaken Hierarchy

Verify whether the <section> tag is mistakenly placed inside elements that do not support it, such as directly inside a <p> tag or other inline elements. Correct any incorrect usage. For example this is incorrect usage because the <section> tag is placed after the closing <body> tag:

Incorrect:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Sample page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Main title</h1>
  <p>Some content</p>
</body>
</html>

<section>
  <h2>Incorrect Section</h2>
  <p>This section should not be after the closing body tag.</p>
</section>

Correct:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Sample page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Main title</h1>
  <p>Some content</p>

  <section>
    <h2>Correct Section</h2>
    <p>This section is fine.</p>
  </section>
</body>
</html>

Summary

Ensure your <section> tags are used within the <body> tag and other allowed elements.
Maintain a logical hierarchy in your HTML document.
Avoid placing <section> tags inside inline elements like <p>.

Following these steps should resolve the “Stray start tag “section”” error in your HTML document. Validate your HTML again after making these corrections to ensure the issue is resolved.

Stray start tag “style”.

A <style> start tag has been found in an unexpected place in the document structure. Check that the <style> section appears within the <head> section.

Although in general it’s better to put your styles in external stylesheets and apply them using <link> elements, CSS styles can also be included inside a document using the <style> tag. In this case, it should be placed within the <head> section, like in this example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Test</title>
    <style>
      p {
        color: #26b72b;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>This text will be green.</p>
  </body>
</html>

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