Explain different kinds of character set available in HTML
Last Updated :
18 May, 2022
Explain the different kinds of character sets available in HTML?
Before looking at different kinds of character sets available in HTML, let us first know what character sets in HTML actually are.
HTML Character Sets: Have you ever wondered how the browser displays the numbers, alphabets, and other symbols precisely? It is possible with the help of a particular Character Set.
Have you ever wondered how the browser displays numbers, alphabets, and other symbols precisely? It is possible with the help of a particular Character Set.
It is specified inside the <meta> tag.
<meta charset="UTF-8">
Different kinds of character set available in HTML
There have been different character sets available over time for the web. Let's understand the different kinds of character sets available in HTML.
ASCII: The first and the most common character encoding format is ASCII(American Standard Code for Information Interchange). ASCII has defined 128 different alphanumeric characters that are numbers(0-9), lower(a-z) and upper case(A-Z) alphabet and some special characters like + - $ () @ etc. It represented 128 different characters as it used only 7 bits to store characters. The disadvantage with ASCII is that it excludes non-English letters.
Syntax:
<meta charset="ASCII">
The below table shows some of the 128 ASCII characters and their equivalent numbers -
| Char | Number | Description |
| | 32 | Space |
| ! | 33 | Exclamatory mark |
| "" | 34 | Quotation mark |
| # | 35 | Hash sign |
| $ | 36 | dollar sign |
| % | 37 | Percent sign |
| & | 38 | ampersand |
| ' | 39 | apostrophe |
| ( | 40 | Left parenthesis |
| ) | 41 | Right parenthesis |
| * | 42 | Asterisk |
| 2 | 50 | Number 2 |
| 3 | 51 | Number 3 |
| 4 | 52 | Number 4 |
| 65 | A | Uppercase A |
| 66 | B | Uppercase B |
| 75 | K | Uppercase K |
| 89 | Y | Uppercase Y |
| 90 | Z | Uppercase Z |
| 97 | a | lowercase a |
| 98 | b | lowercase b |
| 107 | k | lowercase k |
| 121 | y | lowercase y |
| 122 | z | lowercase z |
| 126 | ~ | tilde |
Example: This example shows how to use ASCII character set and the characters are printed using ASCII character set.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="ASCII">
<title>ASCII character set</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<div>
<p>GeeksforGeeks</p>
<p>ASCII character set </p>
<p>! , [ , A </p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
ISO-8859-1: The default character set used in HTML4. It supported 256 different character codes. The ISO (International Standards Organization) defines the standard character sets for different languages/alphabets. It is an extension to ASCII with some additional international characters. For values 0 to 127, ISO-8859-1 is identical to ASCII and for values from 160 to 255, it is identical to UTF-8.
Note: The characters from 128 to 159 are not defined in ISO-8859-1.
Syntax:
<meta charset="ISO-8859-1">
The below table shows some of the ISO-8859-1 characters and their equivalent numbers -
| Character | Entity Name | Entity Number | Description |
| ¢ | ¢ | ¢ | cent |
| ¦ | ¦ | ¦ | broken vertical bar |
| © | © | © | copyright |
| ® | ® | ® | registered trademark |
| ¼ | ¼ | ¼ | fraction 1/4 |
| Ë | Ë | Ë | capital e, umlaut mark |
| à | à | à | small a , grave accent |
| þ | þ | þ | small thorn, Icelandic |
Example: This example shows how to use the ISO-8859-1 character set and the characters are printed using ISO-8859-1 character set.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="ISO-8859-1">
<title>ISO-8859-1 character set</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<div>
<p>GeeksforGeeks</p>
<p>ISO-8859-1 character set</p>
<p>Ë , ¦ , þ</p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
ANSI (Windows-1252): The ANSI(Windows-1252) was the default character set in Windows, up to the Windows95 and the most popular character set too in windows around 1985 to 1990. It is an extension of the ASCII character set and almost identical to ISO-88591-1. It uses 8 bits as it has to store 256 different characters. This character set is supported by almost all the browsers.
Syntax:
<meta charset="ANSI">
The below table shows some of the ANSI(Windows-1252) characters and their equivalent numbers -
| Character | Number | Entity Name | Description |
| ! | 33 | | Exclamatory mark |
| & | 38 | & | ampersand |
| 0 | 48 | | digital zero |
| G | 71 | | Latin uppercase letter G |
| ¼ | 188 | ¼ | vulgar fraction one quarter |
| © | 169 | © | Copyright sign |
| þ | 254 | þ | Latin small letter thorn |
| ø | 248 | ø | Latin small letter 0 with stroke |
Example: This example shows how to use ANSI character set and the characters are printed using ANSI character set.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="ANSI">
<title>ANSI(Windows-1252) character set</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<div>
<p>GeeksforGeeks</p>
<p>ANSI(Windows-1252) character set</p>
<p>ø , ¼ , þ</p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
UTF-8: The Unicode Standard was developed by the Unicode Consortium mainly the UTF-8 and UTF-16. The issue with other character sets is that they are limited, and are not compatible in a multilingual environment. It contains almost all the characters, punctuation, and symbols. Developers are encouraged to use the UTF-8 character set by the HTML5 specification.
Syntax:
<meta charset="UTF-8">
The below table tells some of the UTF-8 character codes that are supported by HTML5 -
| Character Codes | Hexadecimal | Decimal |
| Latin Extended-A | 0100-017F | 256-383 |
| Greek and Coptic | 0370-03FF | 88-1023 |
| Arrows | 2190-21FF | 8592-8703 |
| Block ELements | 2580-259F | 9600-9631 |
Example: This example shows how to use UTF-8 character set and the characters are printed using UTF-8 character set.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>UTF-8 character set</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<div>
<p>GeeksforGeeks</p>
<p>UTF-8 character set</p>
<p>Ͷ , ← , Ā </p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
Similar Reads
HTML Tutorial HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the standard language used to create and structure content on the web. It tells the web browser how to display text, links, images, and other forms of multimedia on a webpage. HTML sets up the basic structure of a website, and then CSS and JavaScript
11 min read
Basics
HTML IntroductionHTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, which is the core language used to structure content on the web. It organizes text, images, links, and media using tags and elements that browsers can interpret. As of 2025, over 95% of websites rely on HTML alongside CSS and JavaScript, making it a fundam
6 min read
HTML EditorsAn HTML Editor is a software application designed to help users create and modify HTML code. It often includes features like syntax highlighting, tag completion, and error detection, which facilitate the coding process. There are two main types of HTML editors: Text-Based Editors - Allow direct codi
5 min read
HTML BasicsHTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create and structure web pages. It defines the layout of a webpage using elements and tags, allowing for the display of text, images, links, and multimedia content. As the foundation of nearly all websites, HTML is used in over
7 min read
HTML Structure & Elements
HTML ElementsAn HTML Element consists of a start tag, content, and an end tag, which together define the element's structure and functionality. Elements are the basic building blocks of a webpage and can represent different types of content, such as text, links, images, or headings.For example, the <p> ele
5 min read
HTML AttributesHTML Attributes are special words used within the opening tag of an HTML element. They provide additional information about HTML elements. HTML attributes are used to configure and adjust the element's behavior, appearance, or functionality in a variety of ways. Each attribute has a name and a value
8 min read
HTML HeadingsHTML headings are used to define the titles and subtitles of sections on a webpage. They help organize the content and create a structure that is easy to navigate.Proper use of headings enhances readability by organizing content into clear sections.Search engines utilize headings to understand page
4 min read
HTML ParagraphsA paragraph in HTML is simply a block of text enclosed within the <p> tag. The <p> tag helps divide content into manageable, readable sections. It’s the go-to element for wrapping text in a web page that is meant to be displayed as a distinct paragraph.Syntax:<p> Some Content...
5 min read
HTML Text FormattingHTML text formatting refers to the use of specific HTML tags to modify the appearance and structure of text on a webpage. It allows you to style text in different ways, such as making it bold, italic, underlined, highlighted, or struck-through. Table of ContentCategories of HTML Text FormattingLogic
4 min read
HTML Block and Inline ElementsHTML elements are either block-level, which structure the layout and span full width (like <div> or <p>), or inline, which styles content within blocks without breaking the flow (like <span> or <a>). This distinction covers 80–90% of common HTML usage.Inline and Block Level E
3 min read
HTML CharsetsHTML charsets define how characters are represented in a web document. The character encoding ensures that text appears correctly across different devices and platforms.The <meta> tag's charset attribute is used to specify which character encoding the HTML document uses. By setting the charset
4 min read
HTML List
HTML Visuals & Media
HTML ColorsHTML Colors can be applied to text, backgrounds, borders, links, forms, tables, etc. This article provides an in-depth look at how colors can be applied to various elements such as text, backgrounds, borders, links, forms, and tables in HTML. We will explore different color formats including hexadec
11 min read
HTML Links HyperlinksHTML Links, also known as hyperlinks, are defined by the <a> tag in HTML, which stands for "anchor." These links are essential for navigating between web pages and directing users to different sites, documents, or sections within the same page. The basic attributes of the <a> tag include
3 min read
HTML ImagesThe HTML <img> tag is used to embed an image in web pages by linking them. It creates a placeholder for the image, defined by attributes like src, width, height, and alt, and does not require a closing tag.There are two ways to insert the images into a webpage:By providing a full path or addre
7 min read
HTML FaviconA favicon (short for "favorite icon") is a small yet important image that appears next to your website’s title in the browser tab. Also known as a tab icon or bookmark icon, it helps users quickly identify and return to your site. Studies show that over 85% of users rely on visual cues like favicons
4 min read
HTML VideoThe <video> element in HTML is used to show video content on web pages. It supports various video formats, including MP4, WebM, and Ogg. It is introduced in HTML5.Scroll down to the End, there is a Tutorial Video which is a live example of the Video Element displaying on this webpage.Syntax:
4 min read
HTML Layout & Design
HTML TablesHTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create and structure web pages. It defines the layout of a webpage using elements and tags, allowing for the display of text, images, links, and multimedia content. As the foundation of nearly all websites, HTML is used in over
10 min read
HTML IframesAn iframe, or Inline Frame, is an HTML element represented by the <iframe> tag. It functions as a 'window' on your webpage through which visitors can view and interact with another webpage from a different source.Iframes are used for various purposes like:Embedding Multimedia: Easily integrate
4 min read
HTML LayoutHTML layouts are a technique used to divide a web page into multiple sections, making it easier to apply styles, organize content, and manage operations efficiently. This division improves readability, accessibility, and overall user experience.HTML layout is achieved through elements like <heade
4 min read
HTML File PathsHTML file paths specify the location of files or resources that a webpage needs to access, such as images, videos, scripts, or other HTML documents. These paths tell the web browser where to find the files required to display the content correctly or to execute scripts as intended. To insert a file
3 min read
HTML Projects& Advanced Topics
HTML FormsHTML forms, defined using the <form> Tags are essential for collecting user input on web pages. They incorporate a variety of interactive controls such as text fields, numeric inputs, email fields, password fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and submit buttons. Over 85% of websites rely on for
5 min read
HTML5 SemanticsHTML5 introduced a range of semantic elements that clearly describe their purpose in human and machine-readable language. Unlike non-semantic elements, which provide no information about their content, semantic elements clearly define their content. For instance, <form>, <table>, and
6 min read
HTML URL EncodingA Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is simply the address of a website to access the website content. Web browsers retrieve pages from web servers using a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).What is URL Encoding?URL Encoding is the process of converting the URL into a valid format that is accepted by web br
4 min read
HTML Responsive Web DesignHTML Responsive Web Design is a modern approach to web development that ensures web pages look great on any device, from phones and tablets to desktop computers. It focuses on making HTML elements automatically adjust—resizing, hiding, or repositioning based on the screen size. This approach guarant
11 min read
Top 10 Projects For Beginners To Practice HTML and CSS SkillsLearning to code is an exciting journey, especially when stepping into the world of programming with HTML and CSS—the foundation of every website you see today. For most beginners, these two building blocks are the perfect starting point to explore the creative side of web development, designing vis
8 min read
HTML Tutorial References
HTML Tags - A to Z ListHTML Tags are fundamental elements used to structure and format content on web pages. They provide instructions to web browsers on how to render text, images, links, and other media.HTML tags are enclosed in angle brackets < > and usually come in pairs: an opening tag and a closing tag. The cl
15+ min read
HTML Attributes Complete ReferenceHTML attributes are special words placed inside the opening tag of an HTML element to define its characteristics. Each attribute has two parts:Attribute nameAttribute value (separated by an equal sign = and enclosed in double quotes " ").Syntax:<tag_name attribute_name="value"> Contents...
8 min read
HTML Global AttributesHTML attributes provide additional information about an element and define its properties. Global attributes are special types of attributes that can be used with any HTML element, offering common functionality to enhance behavior and presentation.Global attributes can be applied to any HTML element
5 min read
HTML5 Complete ReferenceHTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard language used to create and design web pages. It defines the structure and layout of a webpage using a series of elements and tags.HTML5 is the latest version of HTML, bringing significant improvements for building modern web applications.It introduce
8 min read
HTML5 MathML Complete ReferenceThe MathML comes in HTML5. The current MathML version is 3. It was introduced in the year 2015. MathML stands for Mathematics Markup Language. It is used to represent mathematical equations or expressions in web browsers, like other HTML elements. MathML is used to describe mathematics as a basis fo
3 min read
HTML DOM Complete ReferenceHTML DOM (Document Object Model) is a programming interface that represents the elements of an HTML document in a tree-like structure.Allows developers to change content and layout using JavaScript.Enables dynamic updates and user interaction on websites.Facilitates the addition, removal, or modific
15+ min read
HTML DOM Audio/Video Complete ReferenceHTML DOM Audio/Video properties and methods allow developers to control audio and video elements programmatically.These controls include playing, pausing, stopping, and adjusting volume.DOM methods enable dynamic interaction and customization of media elements.They enhance the user experience by off
2 min read
SVG Element Complete ReferenceSVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic. It can be used to make graphics and animations like in HTML canvas. It is a type of vector graphic that may be scaled up or down. Elements are the core things that is required to work with SVGs.List of SVG Elements:SVG ElementsDescription<a>The <a>
5 min read
SVG Attribute Complete ReferenceSVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic. It can be used to make graphics and animations like in HTML canvas. It is a type of vector graphic that may be scaled up or down. Attributes are the things that give the SVG shape, color, etc it will make the SVGs as attractive as you need.List of SVG Attribut
8 min read
SVG Property Complete ReferenceSVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic. It can be used to make graphics and animations like in HTML canvas. It is a type of vector graphic that may be scaled up or down. Properties are used for passing the value to the element, there are lots of properties that can be used in SVG elements. table{ di
7 min read
HTML Canvas Complete ReferenceThe HTML “canvas†element is used to draw graphics via JavaScript. The “canvas†element is only a container for graphics. One must use JavaScript to actually draw the graphics. Canvas has several methods for drawing paths, boxes, circles, text, and adding images.Example: This example shows the basic
4 min read