Character Sets

Character sets define how text characters are stored and displayed on a webpage. Choosing the right set ensures proper text rendering across all devices and browsers.

What is a Character set?

A character set is a collection of characters and symbols mapped to numeric values. It tells the browser how to interpret text in the HTML file

Why Is it Important?

Correct rendering: Prevents broken or misinterpreted text
Multi-Language Support: Displays non-English letters correctly
Data integrity: Keeps your content consist across system

How to Set It in HTML

You define the character set using the <meta> tag inside the <head> section of your HTML document.

				
					<meta charset="UTF-8">

Common Character Sets

Character Set	Description
UTF-8	Supports almost all characters globally
ISO-8859-1	Western European languages only
ASCII	Basic English characters (limited)

More Examples

Using UTF-8 (modern and preferred)

				
					<meta charset="UTF-8">

Using ISO-8859-1 (older format)

				
					<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">

Conclusion

Always declare a character set at the top of your HTML.
Use UTF-8-it’s modern, powerful, and globally supported.
This helps your site work well with all languages, all browsers, and all users.