HTML Tags Memory Test

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overview of the Game

  • Browser-based “HTML Tags Memory Test” where users type HTML element names and see how many they can recall.
  • Many long-time HTML authors are surprised how few they remember, typically scoring 30–80; a few reach ~90+.
  • Several people forget very common elements (e.g., div, img, headings, html/head/body, lists, script, meta).

Cheating, Source Peeking, and Introspection

  • The input pattern or JS arrays in the source reveal all valid answers; people note it’s trivially “cheatable.”
  • Some argue this isn’t an exam and that using dev tools or Google is no worse than real-world coding habits.
  • A few share console snippets to list missed elements and link directly to MDN pages.

Validity, Deprecation, and What Counts as “HTML”

  • Debate over inclusion/exclusion of tags like marquee, blink, font, center, frame, frameset, keygen, xmp, plaintext.
  • Some say marquee/blink were never standard; others point out that current specs include marquee only as an obsolete, non‑conforming element.
  • Confusion about whether SVG and MathML child elements should count as “HTML elements” versus foreign content hosted in HTML.
  • Discussion about comment syntax (<!-- -->) and whether it should be treated as a “tag.”

Semantic vs Presentational HTML

  • Frustration over having to use verbose semantic elements (strong, em, nav, footer) instead of shorter or older ones.
  • Extended debate over b/i vs strong/em:
    • One side emphasizes semantics, accessibility, and separating intention from presentation.
    • Another complains about readability of verbose tags and the complexity of picking the “right” semantic tag.
  • Later spec changes redefining b and i as semantic (not just “bold/italic”) are noted, encouraging pragmatic use.
  • Some skepticism about “semantic HTML” in practice, with mentions of heavy div usage and utility CSS frameworks like Tailwind.

Obscure and Niche Elements

  • Users highlight rarely used but interesting elements: ruby, track, dfn, samp, kbd, output, details, dialog, figure/figcaption, map/area, base, portal, hgroup, template, wbr, etc.
  • q is praised for localized quotation marks, though its implementation quirks (non-selectable quotes) are criticized.

Game Design Feedback

  • Requests for an “I give up” button and a post-game list of missed tags.
  • Layout suggestions: better handling when the list of found tags grows long.