In an HTML table, which attribute controls how many columns a cell spans?

In an HTML table, which attribute controls how many columns a cell spans?

• A. rowspan
• B. colspan
• C. width
• D. height

Answer: (B)

Colspan defines how many columns a single table cell should cover. When you set colspan to a number greater than one on a cell (td or th), that cell stretches across that many columns in its row, effectively merging multiple columns into one cell. For example, colspan="3" makes the cell span across three adjacent columns in that row. Rowspan serves the opposite purpose: it makes a cell extend downward across multiple rows, not across columns. Width and height don’t control column spanning; they relate to the cell’s size (and in modern practice are usually handled with CSS).

Colspan defines how many columns a single table cell should cover. When you set colspan to a number greater than one on a cell (td or th), that cell stretches across that many columns in its row, effectively merging multiple columns into one cell. For example, colspan="3" makes the cell span across three adjacent columns in that row.

Rowspan serves the opposite purpose: it makes a cell extend downward across multiple rows, not across columns.

Width and height don’t control column spanning; they relate to the cell’s size (and in modern practice are usually handled with CSS).