<abbr>
Tag Examples
Examples of the <abbr>
tag in HTML 5
<abbr title="abbreviation">abbr.</abbr> <abbr title="Three Letter Acronym">TLA</abbr>
Any ampersand, double quote, less than or greater than characters in the title
or other attributes need to be escaped using HTML character codes.
<abbr title="Texas A&M University"> <a href="http://www.Acronyms.net/t/tamu/#Texas-A&M-University" style="cursor: help" onclick="if(confirm('TAMU stands for Texas A&M University')) return false" title="Texas A&M University">TAMU</a> </abbr>
When the cursor hovers over the acronym, the cursor: help
style changes the cursor to a question mark to indicate that more information is available. After a brief pause, the meaning of the acronym is displayed in a pop-up tool tip.
To try it, mouse over this: TAMU
Examples with <dfn>, where an acronym or its meaning is being defined
When an acronym or abbreviation is associated with a definition, it could be either the abbreviated form or its expanded meaning that is being defined. The term being defined is identified by the value of the title
attribute of the <dfn> tag.
When an abbreviation is a short form of the actual term being defined, a parent <dfn> tag will also assume the value of the <abbr>'s title
attribute, which indicates the term that is being defined is the fully expanded meaning:
<dfn><abbr title="Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers">ICANN</abbr></dfn> is the international organization which helps ensure that Internet domain names are assigned in an orderly manner.
When an acronym's meaning is being clarified by expanding it, then it is the acronym itself that is being defined and the title
attribute of the parent <dfn> tag also needs to be coded to indicate it is not the expanded meaning in the <abbr>'s title but the acronym or abbreviation itself that is being defined:
When we use the acronym <dfn title="RSS"><abbr title="Really Simple Syndication">RSS</abbr></dfn> it is the abbreviation for <b>Really Simple Syndication</b>, not RDF Site Summary.
There are some good examples of defining acronyms in HTML on the Acronyms.net site.