What is the difference between `and`?

html

semantic-markup

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web-development

byAnton Shumikhin·Mar 11, 2025

lang="en" is the general setting for the language as English, while a tag like lang="en-US" gears towards a specific flavor, namely American English, influencing spelling, grammar, and formats critical for accessibility tools and search engines.

<!-- More than a spot of tea? Here, English is general! -->
<html lang="en">
<!-- Freedom units anticipated. Welcome to America! -->
<html lang="en-US">

Language Specificity: An SEO and Accessibility Tool

The 'lang' Attribute and Accessibility Services

The lang attribute does more than appease grammar nazis. It's vital for web accessibility. Screen readers turn digital text into spoken words using this attribute. For example, <html lang="en-GB"> asks the reader to switch to a British accent, potentially leading to a dispute over the pronunciation of "tomato".

The 'lang' Attribute and SEO Optimisation

There's more to the lang attribute than mannered screen readers! It also determines whether an American looking for "colorful design" gets a British page full of "colourful designs". The lang metadata helps tailor your content to audiences, enhancing SEO performance.

Software that Appreciates a Bit of Patriotism

Some software and tools taste the sweet pie of liberty in lang="en-US" and adjust content accordingly. They might exhibit a degree of patriotism, like highlighting American holidays and ignoring the rest of the world. That's just software being regionally considerate.

The Subtleties of the 'lang' Attribute

When a Pinch of Specificity Makes a Pot of Difference

The lang attribute can be as unassuming as 'en' or as specific as 'en-US' or 'en-GB'. This is convenient when an ounce of British wit or a gallon of American slang makes all the difference in your content.

Invalid and Non-standard: Not Everything Goes

Sure, en-ES (English for Spain) feels like freedom of expression, but standards exile it to the realm of confusion. Stick to the officially approved list of ISO 639-1 language codes and ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes.

Accurate Language Tagging with IANA Subtags

Grammar aficionados who appreciate the symphony of precisely tagged languages would feel right at home with IANA's database. It supports a broad range of subtags, infusing precision into your language specification.

Don't Just Code. Be Decisive!

E-Commerce: A wrong lang choice could be a royal mess. Imagine selling microwave ovens in the UK with lang="en-US" and your British customer ends up microwaving their crumpets for way too long using "freedom units".
Education: Asking kids in the US to spell "color" as "colour" could lead to spelling bee mayhem. Make sure to set your lang right.
News: Delivering news of "falling leaves in Central Park" to a British reader expecting results for "autumn leaves in Hyde Park" could be an SEO disaster. Remember, the devil's in the lang attribute details.

Things That Could Go Wrong

Accessibility mishaps: Screen readers and the likes could be your fiercest critics. Make sure your tagged language corresponds to your content to avoid miscommunication.
SEO barriers: No matter how good your content is, if the language-country pair in the lang attribute misguides search engines, your visibility will suffer.
Content delivery blunders: Software acting on lang attributes could deliver wrong or irrelevant content. Make sure you're speaking your audience's language!