Hypertext

Hypertext is text that is connected to other texts or documents through hyperlinks, allowing reading to be non-linear. On the web, hypertext is foundational: HTML uses anchor elements (<a href="...">) to send users to other pages, sections, or resources. Hypertext enables associative navigation, references, and a network of information so users can follow their own paths through content; it is commonly contrasted with hypermedia, which additionally includes multimedia elements like images, audio and video.

Imagine a course website with an index page that contains links to lecture notes, assignments, and further reading. Each link uses an <a href="..."> tag; some point to external articles using absolute URLs while others jump to chapters within the same page using an anchor (#chapter2). As a developer you ensure descriptive link text for accessibility and SEO, verify relative paths still work when files move, and may use target or rel attributes to control how links open.