Non-Breaking Space

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What Does Non-Breaking Space Mean?

A non-breaking space is a particular element in the HTML programming language that helps developers install white space in HTML text. The HTML tag for a non-breaking space is HTML code for a non-breaking space. This tag is used in HTML code to add an additional space in between words or sentences.

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A non-breaking space is also known as a non-breakable space, no-break space, hard space, fixed space or blank character.

Techopedia Explains Non-Breaking Space

Some of the limitations of HTML have to do with how the coding language treats white space on a page. Unlike Word processing environments, HTML environments do not allow developers to create white space by simply hitting the space bar. Spaces that look correct in HTML coding might not look right when the page is rendered. In order to produce white space effectively, programmers use a non-breaking space.

One common issue for non-technical users is that the non-breaking space tag might show up on Web pages, emails or other text elements that have not been set up correctly. Some browsers or other technologies may render pages either completely or partially in HTML code, rather than in plain text. Here, the additional non-breaking spaces will become tags. A user who is not familiar with HTML might be extremely confused by why a message has tags in between each sentence or in the middle of different phrases. A better understanding of HTML coding will help users understand why these types of unconventional symbol and letter combinations might get injected into a text message.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.