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HTML dir Attribute


Example

A paragraph with a right-to-left direction:

<p dir="rtl">Write this text right-to-left!</p>
Try it yourself »

Definition and Usage

The dir attribute specifies the text direction of the element's content.


Browser Support

Attribute
dir Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5

In HTML5, the dir attribute can be used on any HTML element (it will validate on any HTML element. However, it is not necessarily useful).

In HTML 4.01, the dir attribute cannot be used with: <base>, <br>, <frame>, <frameset>, <hr>, <iframe>, <param>, and <script>.


Syntax

<element dir="ltr|rtl|auto">

Attribute Values

Value Description
ltr Default. Left-to-right text direction
rtl Right-to-left text direction
auto Let the browser figure out the text direction, based on the content (only recommended if the text direction is unknown)

Related Pages

HTML Tutorial: HTML Attributes

CSS Reference: direction property

HTML DOM Reference: HTML DOM dir Property

HTML DOM Reference: Style direction Property