What Is HTML?

You've probably heard of the term "HTML" mentioned before, but didn't exactly know what it was, so here's a very brief/oversimplified explanation.

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. 

It is a markup language for creating webpages, and is defined as "a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages" on Dictionary.com.

HTML is used to mark and describe each of these kinds of content so the web browser can show them correctly. Check out the Wikipedia entry about HTML for more introductory information.

HTML is also used to add meta information to a webpage. 

What is Meta Information/Metadata?

As defined on W3schools.com, meta elements are typically used to specify page description, keywords, author of the document, last modified, and other metadata. The metadata can be used by browsers (how to display content or reload page), search engines (keywords), or other web services.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript are usually included and/or used in tandem with HTML code. CSS is used to change how a webpage looks. JavaScript is used to add features to webpages and make them more interactive.

What Is The Difference Between CSS And HTML?

To use real estate analogies: If your website is a house, HTML would be the floors, walls, ceilings, roof, etc. Meanwhile, CSS would be the wallpaper, paint, trims, decor, etc.

So HTML is your structure, and CSS is what makes that structure look nice.

HTML code is usually identifiable from its use of matching tags that are in angle brackets. For example: <p>...........</p>

CSS code is usually identifiable from its use of curly brackets. For example: p {..............}