Comparison of elements in different HTML versions

Jens Meiert published a comparison table of elements in different HTML versions. But I found it not easy on the eyes and missing some information like which elements are deprecated and which are new.

So I added some additional CSS classes and created additional overview tables. Mostly from the perspective of HTML 5.

Global table of HTML elements
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
aAnchor.
abbrAbbreviation.
accessAccessibility mapping.
acronymAcronym.
actionAction.
addressAuthor information.
appletJava applet.
areaClient-side image map.
article“Independent” section.
aside“Auxiliary” section.
audioAudio stream.
bBold text style.
baseDocument base URI.
basefontBase font size.
bdoI18N: Bidi over-ride.
bigLarge text style.
blockcodeCode block.
blockquoteLong quotation.
bodyDocument body.
brForced line break.
buttonPush button.
canvasBitmap canvas.
caption(Table) caption.
center<div align="center">.
citeCitation.
codeCode fragment.
colTable column.
colgroupTable column group.
commandUser-invokable command.
datagridTree, list, or tabular data.
datalistData list.
ddDefinition description.
delDeleted text.
deleteDelete.
detailsAdditional information.
dfnInstance definition.
diDefinition item.
dialogConversation.
dirDirectory list.
dispatchDispatch.
divGeneric container.
dlDefinition list.
dtDefinition term.
emEmphasis.
embedIntegration point.
ev:listenerEvent listener.
event-sourceEvents target.
fieldsetForm control group.
figureParagraph with embedded content and caption.
fontLocal change to font.
footerSection footer.
formInteractive form.
frameSubwindow.
framesetWindow subdivision.
groupElement group.
hHeading.
h1Heading.
h2Heading.
h3Heading.
h4Heading.
h5Heading.
h6Heading.
handlerHandler definition.
headDocument head.
headerSection header.
hrHorizontal rule.
htmlDocument root.
iItalic text style.
iframeInline subwindow.
imgEmbedded image.
inputForm control.
insInserted text.
insertInsert.
isindexSingle line prompt.
kbdText to be entered.
lLine of text.
labelForm field label (XHTML 2: list label).
legendFieldset legend.
liList item.
linkMedia-independent link.
loadLoad.
mMarked text.
mapClient-side image map.
menuMenu list.
messageMessage.
metaGeneric meta-information.
meterScalar measurement.
modelModel.
navNavigation links section.
nlNavigation list.
noframesAlternate container.
noscriptAlternate container.
objectGeneric embedded object.
olOrdered list.
optgroupOption group.
optionSelectable choice.
outputOutput.
pParagraph.
paramNamed property value.
prePreformatted text.
progressProgress of a task.
qShort inline quotation.
rangeRange definition.
rbRuby base.
rbcRuby base container.
rebuildRebuild.
recalculateRecalculate.
refreshRefresh.
repeatRepeat.
resetReset.
revalidateRevalidate.
rpRuby parentheses.
rtRuby text.
rtcRuby text container.
rubyRuby markup.
sStrike-through text style.
sampSample output.
scriptScript statements.
secretSecret input.
sectionDocument section.
select1Single select.
selectOption selector.
sendSend.
separatorBreak.
setfocusSet focus.
setindexSet index.
setvalueSet value.
smallSmall text style.
sourceMedia resource.
spanGeneric container.
standbyMessage (while loading).
strikeStrike-through text.
strongStrong emphasis.
styleStyle info.
subSubscript.
submitSubmit.
summaryTable summary.
supSuperscript.
switchSelection.
tableTable.
tbodyTable body.
tdTable data cell.
textareaMulti-line text field.
tfootTable footer.
thTable header cell.
theadTable header.
timeDate and/or time.
titleDocument title.
trTable row.
triggerTrigger.
ttTeletype text style.
uUnderlined text style.
ulUnordered list.
uploadFile upload.
varVariable instance.
videoVideo or movie.
New in HTML 5
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
article“Independent” section.
aside“Auxiliary” section.
audioAudio stream.
canvasBitmap canvas.
commandUser-invokable command.
datagridTree, list, or tabular data.
datalistData list.
detailsAdditional information.
dialogConversation.
embedIntegration point.
event-sourceEvents target.
figureParagraph with embedded content and caption.
footerSection footer.
headerSection header.
mMarked text.
meterScalar measurement.
navNavigation links section.
outputOutput.
progressProgress of a task.
sectionDocument section.
sourceMedia resource.
timeDate and/or time.
videoVideo or movie.
Removed from HTML 5
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
acronymAcronym.
bigLarge text style.
ttTeletype text style.
Reintroduced in HTML 5
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
fontLocal change to font.
iframeInline subwindow.
menuMenu list.
Unchanged in HTML 5
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
aAnchor.
abbrAbbreviation.
addressAuthor information.
areaClient-side image map.
bBold text style.
baseDocument base URI.
bdoI18N: Bidi over-ride.
blockquoteLong quotation.
bodyDocument body.
brForced line break.
buttonPush button.
caption(Table) caption.
citeCitation.
codeCode fragment.
colTable column.
colgroupTable column group.
ddDefinition description.
delDeleted text.
dfnInstance definition.
divGeneric container.
dlDefinition list.
dtDefinition term.
emEmphasis.
fieldsetForm control group.
formInteractive form.
h1Heading.
h2Heading.
h3Heading.
h4Heading.
h5Heading.
h6Heading.
headDocument head.
hrHorizontal rule.
htmlDocument root.
iItalic text style.
imgEmbedded image.
inputForm control.
insInserted text.
kbdText to be entered.
labelForm field label (XHTML 2: list label).
legendFieldset legend.
liList item.
linkMedia-independent link.
mapClient-side image map.
metaGeneric meta-information.
noscriptAlternate container.
objectGeneric embedded object.
olOrdered list.
optgroupOption group.
optionSelectable choice.
pParagraph.
paramNamed property value.
prePreformatted text.
qShort inline quotation.
sampSample output.
scriptScript statements.
selectOption selector.
smallSmall text style.
spanGeneric container.
strongStrong emphasis.
styleStyle info.
subSubscript.
supSuperscript.
tableTable.
tbodyTable body.
tdTable data cell.
textareaMulti-line text field.
tfootTable footer.
thTable header cell.
theadTable header.
titleDocument title.
trTable row.
ulUnordered list.
varVariable instance.
New in XHTML 2
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
accessAccessibility mapping.
actionAction.
blockcodeCode block.
deleteDelete.
diDefinition item.
dispatchDispatch.
ev:listenerEvent listener.
groupElement group.
hHeading.
handlerHandler definition.
insertInsert.
lLine of text.
loadLoad.
messageMessage.
modelModel.
nlNavigation list.
rangeRange definition.
rebuildRebuild.
recalculateRecalculate.
refreshRefresh.
repeatRepeat.
resetReset.
revalidateRevalidate.
secretSecret input.
select1Single select.
sendSend.
separatorBreak.
setfocusSet focus.
setindexSet index.
setvalueSet value.
standbyMessage (while loading).
submitSubmit.
summaryTable summary.
switchSelection.
triggerTrigger.
uploadFile upload.
Only in XHTML 1.1 and XHTML 2
Element HTML 4 XHTML 1 XHTML 1.1 HTML 5 XHTML 2 Meaning
rbRuby base.
rbcRuby base container.
rpRuby parentheses.
rtRuby text.
rtcRuby text container.
rubyRuby markup.