Jul 9, 2023

HTML Lists

In this tutorial you will learn how to create different types of lists in HTML.

Working with HTML Lists

HTML lists are used to present list of information in well formed and semantic way. There are three different types of list in HTML and each one has a specific purpose and meaning.

Unordered list — Used to create a list of related items, in no particular order.
Ordered list — Used to create a list of related items, in a specific order.
Description list — Used to create a list of terms and their descriptions.

Note: Inside a list item you can put text, images, links, line breaks, etc. You can also place an entire list inside a list item to create the nested list.

In the following sections we will cover all the three types of list one by one:

HTML Unordered Lists

An unordered list created using the <ul> element, and each list item starts with the <li> element.

The list items in unordered lists are marked with bullets. Here’s an example:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>HTML Unordered List</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>HTML Unordered List</h2>
    <ul>
      <li>Chocolate Cake</li>
      <li>Black Forest Cake</li>
      <li>Pineapple Cake</li>
    </ul>
    <hr />
    <h2>HTML Nested Unordered List</h2>
    <ul>
      <li>
        Chocolate Cake
        <ul>
          <li>Chocolate Velvet Cake</li>
          <li>Chocolate Lava Cake</li>
        </ul>
      </li>
      <li>Black Forest Cake</li>
      <li>Pineapple Cake</li>
    </ul>
  </body>
</html>

— The output of the above example will look something like this:

Chocolate Cake
Black Forest Cake
Pineapple Cake

You can also change the bullet type in your unordered list using the CSS list-style-type property. The following style rule changes the type of bullet from the default disc to square:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Change Bullet Type in an HTML Unordered List Using CSS</title>
    <style>
        ul {
            list-style-type: square;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <ul>
        <li>Chocolate Cake</li>
        <li>Black Forest Cake</li>
        <li>Pineapple Cake</li>
    </ul>
</body>
</html>

HTML Ordered Lists

An ordered list created using the <ol> element, and each list item starts with the <li> element. Ordered lists are used when the order of the list’s items is important.

The list items in an ordered list are marked with numbers. Here’s an example:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>HTML Ordered List</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>HTML Ordered List</h2>
    <ol>
      <li>Fasten your seatbelt</li>
      <li>Starts the car's engine</li>
      <li>Look around and go</li>
    </ol>
    <hr />
    <h2>HTML Nested Ordered List</h2>
    <ol>
      <li>Fasten your seatbelt</li>
      <li>Starts the car's engine</li>
      <li>
        Look around and go
        <ol>
          <li>Check the blind spot</li>
          <li>Check surrounding for safety</li>
        </ol>
      </li>
    </ol>
  </body>
</html>

— The output of the above example will look something like this:

Fasten your seatbelt
Starts the car’s engine
Look around and go

The numbering of items in an ordered list typically starts with 1. However, if you want to change that you can use the start attribute, as shown in the following example:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>Change Start Number in an HTML Ordered List Using CSS</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <ol start="10">
      <li>Mix ingredients</li>
      <li>Bake in oven for an hour</li>
      <li>Allow to stand for ten minutes</li>
    </ol>
  </body>
</html>

— The output of the above example will look something like this:

Mix ingredients
Bake in oven for an hour
Allow to stand for ten minutes

Like unordered list, you can also use the CSS list-style-type property to change the numbering type in an ordered list. The following style rule changes the marker type to roman numbers.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Change Numbering Type in an HTML Unordered List Using CSS</title>
    <style>
        ol {
            list-style-type: upper-roman;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <ol>
        <li>Fasten your seatbelt</li>
        <li>Starts the car's engine</li>
        <li>Look around and go</li>
    </ol>
</body>
</html>

Tip: You can also use the type attribute to change the numbering type e.g. type="I". However, you should avoid this attribute, use the CSS list-style-type property instead.

HTML Description Lists

A description list is a list of items with a description or definition of each item.

The description list is created using <dl> element. The <dl> element is used in conjunction with the <dt> element which specify a term, and the <dd> element which specify the term’s definition.

Browsers usually render the definition lists by placing the terms and definitions in separate lines, where the term’s definitions are slightly indented. Here’s an example:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>HTML Description or Definition List</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>HTML Definition List</h2>
    <dl>
      <dt>Bread</dt>
      <dd>A baked food made of flour.</dd>
      <dt>Coffee</dt>
      <dd>A drink made from roasted coffee beans.</dd>
    </dl>
  </body>
</html>

— The output of the above example will look something like this:

Bread

A baked food made of flour.

Coffee

A drink made from roasted coffee beans.