The nobr element instructs the browser to render its content without wrapping the text to the next line at the right edge of the window or container. Even if there are carriage returns in the source code for the element's content, the browser flows the text as one line. Although this might seem convenient in circumstances involving careful layout of pages, it may mean the user has to scroll horizontally to view the textnot something most users like to do. Despite the longevity of the nobr element in commercial browsers, it has never been mentioned in formal HTML recommendations.

The language being used for the element's attribute values and content. A browser can use this information to assist in proper rendering of content with respect to details such as treatment of ligatures (when supported by a particular font or required by a written language), quotation marks, and hyphenation. Other applications and search engines might use this information to aid the selection of spell-checking dictionaries and the creation of indices.