What does hyperlink mean?
A hyperlink is a selectable connection embedded in text, an image, or another element of a digital document. Selecting it typically takes the user to a related website, document, section, or media file. The term is also used as a verb: to hyperlink something means to turn it into, or provide it with, such a connection. Hyperlinks are fundamental to navigation on the Web, where they allow users to move between pages and to follow references that connect related information. In everyday technical writing, a hyperlink is often described simply as a link, though “hyperlink” emphasizes the connection between a particular element and its destination. The word is also sometimes used more broadly for links in electronic documents, including those in word-processing software, presentations, and electronic messages. Despite the technology’s modern ubiquity, the term has a mid-20th-century origin and was initially associated with the conceptual development of hypertext systems.
A link embedded in text, an image, or another digital element that takes the user to another document, website, or location when selected.
"The website includes a hyperlink to the organization’s donation page."
Usually used in computing and digital publishing contexts.
To create or designate a hyperlink from text, an image, or another digital element to a related destination.
"The editor will hyperlink the references in the final document."
Common in digital editing and publishing; often transitive.
The plural is commonly used when referring to multiple embedded links in a document or on a website.
"The article contains several hyperlinks to related sources."
The word “hyperlink” was coined by Ted Nelson in the 1960s as part of his vision of a web of interconnected information, an idea that helped inspire the modern Web.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hyperlink come from?
Hyperlink combines the prefix “hyper-,” meaning “over, beyond, or excessively,” with “link.” The compound was coined by Ted Nelson in the 1960s for his Project Xanadu, an early proposal for an interconnected information system. The word subsequently became established through the development of hypertext and, later, the Web, where links connect one document or resource to another.
Related word forms
How hyperlink is actually used
In modern computing usage, “hyperlink” usually refers specifically to a link embedded in digital content. In general writing, “link” is often more natural and less technical.
Easily confused with hyperlink
A hyperlink is an individual selectable link, whereas hypertext is a broader system or medium in which linked text allows users to move between related material.