[html] What do < and > stand for?

Others have noted the correct answer, but have not clearly explained the all-important reason:

  • why do we need this?

What do < and > stand for?

  • &lt; stands for the < sign. Just remember: lt == less than
  • &gt; stands for the > Just remember: gt == greater than

Why can’t we simply use the < and > characters in HTML?

  • This is because the > and < characters are ‘reserved’ characters in HTML.
  • HTML is a mark up language: The < and > are used to denote the starting and ending of different elements: e.g. <h1> and not for the displaying of the greater than or less than symbols. But what if you wanted to actually display those symbols? You would simply use &lt; and &gt; and the browser will know exactly how to display it.

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