Question

The default character coding in HTML-5 is

• A. UTF-4
• B. UTF-8
• C. UTF-16
• D. UTF-32

Hint:

Remember that UTF-8's key advantages for web use include its compatibility with ASCII (making existing ASCII content valid UTF-8), its ability to represent any Unicode character, and its relatively efficient storage for common characters.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Understanding Default Character Encoding in HTML-5

Step 1: Understand Character Encoding

Character encoding is a system that maps characters (letters, numbers, symbols) to numerical values that can be stored and processed by computers. Different encoding systems exist, each with its own way of representing characters.

Step 2: Recall the Significance of Default Encoding for HTML

The default character encoding for an HTML document determines how the browser interprets the text content of the page. Choosing a widely compatible encoding ensures that the text is displayed correctly across different browsers and operating systems, supporting a wide range of languages and characters.

Step 3: Evaluate the Given Options

• UTF-4: While UTF-4 is a Unicode encoding, it is not the default for HTML.
• UTF-8: UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format - 8-bit) is the dominant character encoding for the World Wide Web and the default encoding for HTML-5. It is a variable-width encoding that is backward-compatible with ASCII and can represent all characters in the Unicode standard efficiently.
• UTF-16: UTF-16 is another Unicode encoding that uses 16-bit code units. It is used by some operating systems and programming languages but is not the default for HTML-5 due to compatibility advantages of UTF-8.
• UTF-32: UTF-32 is a fixed-width encoding using 32 bits per character. While it can represent all Unicode characters, its fixed width makes it less efficient for text that primarily consists of ASCII characters compared to the variable-width UTF-8.

Step 4: Identify the Default Encoding in HTML-5

The HTML-5 specification explicitly states that UTF-8 is the default character encoding for HTML documents. This choice was made to ensure maximum compatibility and support for internationalization on the web.

Quick Tip: Always specify UTF-8 encoding in your HTML using the meta tag: 
<meta charset="UTF-8">