Which HTML tag creates a line break?

Which HTML tag creates a line break? The answer is br. The `<br>` element inserts a forced line break inside flowing text, moving subsequent content to the next line. It is useful when the break is part of the content itself, such as in a postal address, a poem, or song-like verse: `221B Baker Street<br>London`.

`br` is a void element, so it has no closing tag and cannot contain text. In older XHTML-style markup, developers often wrote `<br />`; modern HTML permits and conventionally uses `<br>`. CSS controls ordinary text wrapping automatically, while `<br>` requests a specific break at a particular point.

A common mistake is using repeated `<br>` elements to create layout spacing. Margins, padding, and layout properties in CSS are better for presentation. Another mix-up is `<p>`, which creates a paragraph with its own semantic structure, or `<hr>`, which represents a thematic break rather than merely moving text to a new line. Using `<br>` for every visual line can also make responsive layouts and screen-reader interpretation less natural.