Lesson 18 — Italics <i>

Learning Goals

• Understand the purpose of the <i> element.
• See how <i> differs from <em>.
• Use italic text appropriately in writing.

Part 1 — What is <i>?

The <i> element renders text in an italic style. It is mainly a stylistic element for alternate voice, technical terms, or foreign words.

Compare: <em> also makes text italic, but adds semantic meaning (emphasis).

Part 2 — Example

<p>The word <i>resume</i> in French means summary.</p>
<p>This is <em>important</em> for emphasis.</p>

Result: Both display italic, but <em> signals emphasis, while <i> signals alternate text.

Part 3 — Best Practices

• Use <i> for terms, phrases, or alternate voices.
• Use <em> for stress emphasis in a sentence.
• Don’t overuse italics — readability suffers.

Part 4 — Common Mistakes

• ❌ Using <i> when you mean emphasis — use <em>.
• ❌ Italicizing entire paragraphs.
• ❌ Using italics as the only way to show importance.

Quick Quiz

1. What does <i> do?
2. How is <i> different from <em>?
3. Give an example of when to use <i>.

Mini Project — Glossary Page

Create a glossary with several terms. Italicize the **term being defined** with <i>, and emphasize important notes with <em>.

Lesson 18 Dictionary

Terms introduced in this lesson.

E

<em>

Marks text for emphasis; renders italic but adds semantic meaning for accessibility.

I

<i> (Italics)

A stylistic element that italicizes text without adding emphasis or importance.