What does hypertext mean?
Hypertext is digital text organized through links rather than a fixed, linear sequence. A reader can follow a link from a word, image, or passage to related information, another document, or a different form of media. The idea transformed both computer interfaces and writing by making access associative and nonlinear: a reader could pursue a subject according to personal interest rather than move strictly from beginning to end. Hypertext also became an important concept in literature, where linked and layered texts can imitate the branching experience of browsing. In modern usage, the term usually refers specifically to interconnected text, while the broader field of linked digital material is often called hypermedia. Although the word may sound technical, it is also used in discussions of educational resources, websites, digital archives, and creative writing.
nounText stored in digital form that contains links allowing a reader to move between related passages, documents, or media in a nonlinear way. It may include text, images, audio, and other forms of content.
- Linked digital text that permits navigation between related passages or documents in a nonlinear sequence.
- The broader concept of interconnected text, images, audio, and other media organized through digital links.
- A text, document, or literary work that uses links or references to lead readers into related material.
"The museum's online guide uses hypertext to connect each object with related historical documents and recordings."
"The textbook app uses hypertext to connect each definition with an audio pronunciation and a video example."
"Her experimental novel treats hypertext as a way of presenting several competing narratives."
Usually uncountable when referring to linked text as a medium or concept; pluralized when individual hypertext documents or works are being counted.
"The archive preserves several early experimental hypertexts created by artists and programmers."
Hypertext turned the page into a doorway: a word or image became a route into another world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hypertext come from?
The word was coined in the 1960s by American writer and computer scientist Ted Nelson as part of his concept of linked information. It combines the Greek-derived prefix "hyper-", meaning beyond or excessively, with "text". Nelson's original sense referred to a nonlinear body of linked information, and the word later became standard for digital texts and documents that support such navigation.
Related word forms
How hypertext is actually used
The term is primarily used in computing, digital media, and literary studies. It is usually treated as a mass noun, although countable forms such as "hypertexts" occur when referring to individual hypertext documents or systems.
Easily confused with hypertext
Hypertext is the larger structure of linked content, whereas a hyperlink is an individual link connecting one location or item to another.