<del>
Text removed from a document, shown struck through to preserve the history of changes.
- Display
- inline
- Closing tag
- Required
- Permitted content
- Transparent content, meaning whatever the parent element allows
Example
#<p>Today's to-do list:</p>
<ul>
<li><del>Watch the lesson on loops</del></li>
<li><del>Solve three exercises</del></li>
<li>Build a calculator in JavaScript</li>
</ul>Definition and usage
#The <del> element marks a fragment removed from a document. Instead of deleting it outright, you leave it struck through, so the reader can see the history of changes: edits to a terms page, corrections in articles, completed items on a to-do list.
Just like <ins>, it accepts datetime (when the fragment was removed) and cite (the address of an explanation) attributes, and it can wrap anywhere from a few words to whole paragraphs.
The difference from <s>: <del> is a document edit, while <s> marks information that’s no longer accurate, e.g. an old price in a sale. Most screen readers don’t announce deletions by default, so describe important changes in words too.
Syntax
#<del datetime="2026-09-28">removed text</del>Attributes
#URL
The address of a page explaining why the fragment was removed. The browser doesn’t display it.date and time
The moment the fragment was removed, in the same format as in the<time>element, e.g.2026-09-28.
The element also supports all global attributes, such as class, id, style and hidden.
Attributes in practice
#cite
URLThe address of a page explaining why the fragment was removed. The browser doesn’t display it.
<p>Included: lesson access, <del cite="/changes/pricing-2026">a paper certificate</del>, mentor support.</p>datetime
date and timeThe moment the fragment was removed, in the same format as in the <time> element, e.g. 2026-09-28.
<p>The online meetup will be held on <del datetime="2026-09-28">Thursday</del> <ins datetime="2026-09-28">Friday</ins>.</p>Default CSS
#Most browsers display this element with these default styles:
del {
text-decoration: line-through;
}Browser support
#Widely available
Works in all modern browsers, phones included. You can use it without worry.
- Chrome
- Edge
- Firefox
- Safari
Good practices
#- Mark outdated information that isn’t a document edit, e.g. old prices, with
<s>. - The
<strike>element is deprecated. Choose<del>or<s>, depending on the meaning. - Describe an important change in words too, because a screen reader user might not hear the strikethrough.
Related entries
#- <ins>Text added to a document, for example in a new version of a terms page or a corrected article.
- <s>Content that’s no longer accurate, such as an old price. The browser strikes it through.
- <time>A date, time, or duration written clearly for people and, at the same time, understandably for machines.
- <mark>Highlights a piece of text like a highlighter, because it’s relevant in the current context.
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