# XHTML: what it is and how it works · Zorraquino
> XHTML is a reformulation of HTML using strict XML syntax, published by the W3C in 2000; it is now mainly historical.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/xhtml-language.html

# XHTML

XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) is a reformulation of HTML using the strict syntax of XML, published as a W3C Recommendation in 2000

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

[The whole glossary](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary)

## What it is and how it works

It required every tag to be closed, written in lower case and properly nested, so that code would be more predictable and could be processed with XML tools. Its spread coincided with the separation of structure and presentation through CSS, a practice that is not in fact exclusive to XHTML.

Work on XHTML 2.0 was abandoned in 2009 and the web evolved along the HTML5 path instead. The HTML Living Standard still includes an optional XML syntax, but XHTML as a standalone standard is mainly a historical reference that still appears on older sites and in some formats, such as EPUB e-books.

Topics

[Technology and data](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/tecnologia-y-datos)

## Related concepts

- [HTML](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/html-language.html)
- [HTML5](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/html5.html)
- [W3C](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/w3c.html)