What attribute specifies the URL for a hyperlink in HTML? The answer is href. Used most famously on the `<a>` anchor element, `href`—short for “hypertext reference”—identifies the destination of a hyperlink: `<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>`. The text between the tags is the link’s label, while the `href` value is the target the browser navigates to.
An `href` value can be an absolute URL, a relative path such as `/about`, or a fragment reference such as `#contact` that jumps to an element in the current document. It can also use schemes such as `mailto:` or `tel:`. Browsers and search engines use the destination, while CSS controls how the link looks.
The common mix-up is `src`, which generally tells elements such as `img`, `script`, or `iframe` which external resource to load. `url` and `link` are understandable English descriptions but are not the standard attribute that sets an anchor’s destination. The `target` attribute changes where a link opens, and `rel` describes the relationship; neither replaces `href`.