Plain text on a webpage is fine, but sometimes you need to spice it up—maybe highlight a key word or make a quote stand out. That’s where HTML formatting tags come in. They let you tweak how text looks and feels, all without needing fancy design skills. Let’s dive into the basics every beginner should know!

Here’s a rundown of the most common formatting tags:

1. <strong>: Makes text bold and signals it’s important. Example: <strong>Watch out!</strong> shows as Watch out!.
2. <em>: Adds italics for emphasis. Try <em>Really?</em> and it’ll look like Really?.
3. <u>: Underlines text, like <u>special</u> for special. (it can look like a link!)
4. <small>: Shrinks text for fine print, like <small>Details here</small>.
5. <sup> and <sub>: Perfect for superscripts (e.g., 2^nd = 2^nd) or subscripts (e.g., H₂O = H₂O).

Let’s see them in action:

In the browser, you’ll get bold “super”, italic “really”, a superscript “nd”, and an underlined “special” - all in two clean lines.

These tags don’t just change looks—they can add meaning too. <strong> and <em> tell screen readers something’s emphasized, which helps accessibility. Others, like <u> or <small>, are more about visuals, so use them when they fit.

A little tip: don’t go wild with formatting—too much bold or italics can make your page hard to read. Stick to a few touches for impact. As you get comfy, you’ll see how these tags team up with paragraphs and headings to shape your content. Give them a whirl in your next HTML file!