hspace

Hspace is a term used in multiple contexts to describe horizontal spacing in documents and web pages. In HTML, hspace was a presentational attribute of the img element (alongside vspace) used to specify the amount of horizontal space, in pixels, to the left and right of the image. The attribute value is a non-negative integer. For example, <img src="example.jpg" alt="Example" hspace="10"> would add 10 pixels of space on both sides. The hspace attribute is deprecated in HTML 4.01 and has been removed in HTML5; browsers may ignore it.

The recommended approach today is to control spacing with CSS, such as applying margin-left and margin-right to the image or wrapping it in a container with appropriate margins.

In TeX and LaTeX, hspace is a command that inserts horizontal space of a specified length, for example \hspace{1em}. It can be used in text mode to create precise gaps, or in math mode to adjust spacing, though math mode uses its own spacing rules and additional commands.

Summary: hspace historically signified pixel-based horizontal margins around an image in HTML, but modern authors should rely on CSS for layout and spacing. In typesetting languages like LaTeX, hspace serves as a general horizontal spacer control. See also vspace, CSS margins, and LaTeX spacing commands.