Why do angle brackets need to be encoded in HTML?

Characters like angle brackets and ampersands have special meaning in HTML itself -- encoding them correctly (like converting < into <) prevents them from being misinterpreted as actual HTML markup.

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HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder

Encode or decode HTML entities

Files never stored

Raw text / HTML

Encoded (entities)

&lt;div class="example"&gt;Hello &amp; welcome!&lt;/div&gt;

What is this tool?

Encodes special characters into HTML entities (like converting a literal < into <) or decodes HTML entities back into their original characters.

How to use it

Paste your text or HTML, choose encode or decode, and the converted result appears immediately.

This matters most for characters that have special meaning in HTML itself, like angle brackets and ampersands — encoding these correctly prevents them from being misinterpreted as actual HTML markup.

Watch: HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder in Action

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HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder

What is this tool?

How to use it

Watch: HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder in Action

Frequently asked questions