Draft

Definition

The HTML  element represents a span of inline text which should be stylistically differentiated from normal text, due to its typographical semantics. This element was deprecated in HTML4 but then reinstated in HTML5.

The  tag is used to underline text. However, because underlined text is also the standard way to represent hyperlinks, using the  element can potentially confuse users. For this reason, it’s often better to use CSS properties for text decoration, unless there’s a specific typographic convention that justifies the use of the  tag.

Here’s an example of how the  element can be used:

<p>I want to <u>underline</u> this word.</p>

This will render as: “I want to underline this word.” The word “underline” will appear underlined.

In HTML5, the  element is redefined to represent a span of text with an unarticulated, though explicitly rendered, non-textual annotation, such as labeling the text as being a proper name in Chinese text (a Chinese proper name mark), or labeling the text as being misspelt.

But in practice, the  element is used less and less, as it is recommended to use CSS (text-decoration: underline;) to underline text. This is due to accessibility concerns, as the underline can be confused with a hyperlink, which is the default browser style.

In summary, while the  element has its uses, it’s generally better to handle text decoration through CSS. This provides a greater degree of control over the appearance of the text and helps avoid potential user confusion.