How do you specify character encoding in an HTML document?

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Specifying character encoding in an HTML document is crucial for ensuring that text is displayed correctly across different browsers and devices. This is typically done by including a meta tag that declares the character set used in the document. The correct method is to place the <meta charset="UTF-8"> tag within the <head> section of the HTML document. This placement is essential because the <head> section is processed before the <body>, allowing the browser to interpret the document's character encoding appropriately before rendering any text content.

Using UTF-8 as the character encoding is particularly beneficial since it supports a wide array of characters from various languages and symbols, making it suitable for global websites. When this meta tag is correctly placed in the head, it informs the browser about how to decode the characters in the document, ensuring that all content is displayed as intended.

Other methods of specifying encoding mentioned in the options do not achieve the same effectiveness. For instance, placing the meta tag in the body section means that the browser may not recognize the character encoding before rendering the content, leading to potential misinterpretation of characters during initial display. Similarly, including it in a script tag or within CSS styles is not valid, as character encoding declarations belong in the head section

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