To ensure correct text display in a web browser, specify the character encoding using the <meta charset="UTF-8"> tag in the
section of the HTML document.UTF-8 is the standard encoding because it supports all Unicode characters, is backward-compatible with ASCII, and prevents issues like garbled text, incorrect display of non-Latin scripts, and form input errors.Alternative methods include setting the encoding via HTTP headers (Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8), which takes precedence over the meta tag, or using the legacy HTML4 syntax (<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">), which is unnecessary in HTML5.Best practices include placing the <meta charset="UTF-8"> tag early in the , saving the HTML file in UTF-8 encoding, and ensuring the server does not unintentionally override the encoding.To ensure text displays correctly in a web browser, you need to specify the character encoding in your HTML document. This tells the browser how to interpret the characters on the page. Here's how to do it properly.

Use the <meta>
tag with charset
The most common and recommended way to specify character encoding is by using the <meta>
tag in the section of your HTML document. For modern websites, UTF-8 is the standard encoding because it supports nearly all characters and symbols from all languages.
Add this line early in the :

<meta charset="UTF-8">
This simple tag is sufficient for HTML5 documents. Browsers will read this and decode the page accordingly.
Why UTF-8?
UTF-8 is widely supported and can represent any Unicode character. It’s backward-compatible with ASCII, which means plain English text remains unchanged. Using UTF-8 helps avoid issues like:

- Garbled text (e.g., symbols)
- Incorrect display of accents or non-Latin scripts (like Chinese, Arabic, or Cyrillic)
- Form input errors when users type special characters
Other methods (less common)
While the <meta charset="UTF-8">
tag is standard, encoding can also be set in other ways:
HTTP headers: The web server can send a
Content-Type
header including the charset:Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
This method takes precedence over the meta tag, so if there's a conflict, the server setting wins.
Legacy HTML4 syntax (not needed in HTML5):
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
This longer version is valid but unnecessary if you're using HTML5 and the shorter
charset
form.Best practices
- Always include
<meta charset="UTF-8">
as early as possible in the(ideally right after
starts) to prevent rendering delays or misinterpretation.
- Save your HTML file using UTF-8 encoding in your text editor.
- Make sure your server isn’t overriding the encoding via HTTP headers unless intended.
Basically, just remember:
<meta charset="UTF-8">
in the, save file as UTF-8, and you're good.
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