Home > Abakada: Back to Basics > Language References > HTML Elements > TIME Element

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Represents a specific period in time.

HTML 5

HTML Syntax

<time datetime = machine-readable value> ... </time>

NOTE: Both start and end tags are required.

The <time> element represents a specific period in time, which may be one of the following:

• A time on a 24-hour clock.
• A precise date in the Gregorian calendar (with optional time and timezone information).
• A valid time duration.

<time> may include the datetime attribute to translate dates into machine-readable format, allowing for better search engine results or custom features such as reminders.

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The <time> element supports the following attributes, in addition to global attributes common to all HTML elements.

Attribute	Value	Description
datetime	datetime	Represent a machine-readable format of the time element

The following shows how the time element may be used.

/* A valid month string */
2025-11

/* A valid date string */
2025-11-18

/* A valid yearless date string */
11-18

/* A valid time string */
14:54

/* A valid local date and time string */
2025-11-18T14:54

/* A valid time-zone offset string */
+ 08:00

/* A valid global date and time string */
2011-11-18T14:54Z

/* A valid week string */
2011-W47

/* A valid duration string */
4h 18m 3s

In this example, the datetime attribute is used, wherein a specific time in the Pacific Standard Time timezone is specified:

Your next meeting is at <time datetime="2011-11-18T15:00-08:00">3pm</time>.

• 4.5.14 The time element

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