HTML Entity Encoder — Encode Special Characters to HTML Entities

Encode special characters into HTML entities instantly with our free online HTML Entity Encoder. Convert characters like &, <, >, ", and ' to their safe HTML entity equivalents — all processing happens in your browser.

What Are HTML Entities?

HTML entities are special codes used to represent reserved characters in HTML. They start with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). For example, the less-than sign (<) is written as < in HTML to prevent the browser from interpreting it as a tag opener.

Using HTML entities is essential for:

• Displaying reserved characters like <, >, & without breaking markup
• Embedding code snippets in documentation and tutorials
• Ensuring valid HTML in user-generated content
• Accessibility — screen readers interpret entities correctly

Common HTML Entities Reference

Features

• Instant encoding — converts special characters to HTML entities in real time
• Wide character support — handles all special HTML characters and non-ASCII Unicode
• 100% client-side — no data sent to any server
• Copy to clipboard — one-click copy of encoded output
• Clean interface — simple input/output textareas

When to Use HTML Entity Encoding

1. Web Development

When displaying user-generated content that may contain HTML characters:

<!-- Before encoding (broken) -->
<div>Use <b> tags for bold text</div>
 
<!-- After encoding (safe) -->
<div>Use &lt;b&gt; tags for bold text</div>

2. Code Documentation

Displaying code examples in HTML pages without interpretation:

<pre>
  if (x &lt; 10 &amp;&amp; y &gt; 20) {
    console.log("Hello &amp; welcome!");
  }
</pre>

3. Email HTML

Many email clients strip or break on raw HTML characters — entities ensure safe rendering.

4. XML/JSON Embedding

When embedding HTML as a string value inside JSON or XML, encoding ensures the parser treats it correctly.

Example

Input:

<div class="intro">Hello & welcome!</div>

Output:

<div class="intro">Hello & welcome!</div>

Related Tools

• HTML Entity Decoder — decode HTML entities back to readable text
• HTML Formatter — format, beautify, and minify HTML code
• JSON Escape/Unescape — escape and unescape JSON special characters
• URL Encoder — encode special characters for URL-safe format

Start using the HTML Entity Encoder now — fast, free, and secure.