# Common Beginner Mistakes — HTML

Source: https://www.geekswithgeeks.com/en/html/html-common-mistakes

> Pitfalls to watch for as you write more HTML.

## Unclosed tags & div soup

Forgetting a closing tag can silently break layout. Wrapping everything in `<div>` instead of semantic tags loses meaning for no visual gain.

## Invalid nesting

A block element like `<div>` cannot legally sit inside an inline element like `<span>` or `<a>` in some contexts — check the spec if a layout looks broken for no reason.

**Quiz:** Which is a common beginner HTML mistake?

- [ ] Using semantic tags like <nav>
- [x] Wrapping every element in generic <div> tags
- [ ] Adding alt text to images

*Answer:* Wrapping every element in generic <div> tags. Overusing generic <div> tags instead of semantic elements is a classic beginner habit that hurts accessibility and SEO.