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17.03.2026 BUSINESS

Hreflang Language Codes List: How to Use Them for SEO

Learn how to use hreflang language codes for SEO. Implement the hreflang attribute correctly in HTML for multilingual websites. Language list included.
HTML code showing hreflang tags for multilingual SEO targeting.
If your website targets more than one language or country, hreflang is one of the most important SEO signals you need to get right.

Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which version of a page to show users based on their language and, when relevant, their country or region. When it’s implemented correctly, it helps Google display the right page in the right market, reduces the risk of your language versions competing against each other in search results, and improves the user experience for international visitors.

However, hreflang only works when the language and region codes are accurate, and the tags are set up consistently across every alternate page. Even small formatting mistakes can cause search engines to ignore the signals.

In this article, you’ll find a practical guide to hreflang language codes list, learn how language codes and country codes work together, and get clear implementation guidance using HTML tags, XML sitemaps, or HTTP headers. Keep reading to make sure your multilingual and multi-regional pages are properly targeted for international SEO.

Contact us for multilingual SEO translation support and a customized workflow for international website content. Submit a request on this special page to get help with translation and localization for hreflang-ready pages.

What Hreflang Is and How Search Engines Use It

Developer working on website code to implement hreflang correctly.
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which language a page is written in and, when needed, which country or region it targets. It is mainly used on multilingual or multi-regional websites where the same content exists in multiple versions, such as English pages for different countries or separate language versions of the same page, including different languages.

When hreflang is set up correctly, it helps search engines show the most relevant version of your page to each user. For example, it can help Google understand that:
• en-US is meant for English speakers in the United States
• en-GB is meant for English speakers in the United Kingdom
• en-CA is meant for English speakers in Canada
• fr-CA is meant for French speakers in Canada
• fr-FR is meant for French speakers in France

It’s important to note that hreflang does not directly improve rankings. Instead, it acts as a signal that helps search engines determine which version of a page to display to users based on country and language. This improves the search experience and reduces the chance of the wrong language or region page appearing in search results.

Hreflang Syntax and Best Practices

Laptop screen displaying code for multilingual website pages and hreflang setup.

Basic Hreflang Tag Structure

This is how to add hreflang tags to the <head> section of an HTML page:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x" href="URL">
Each part of the tag has a specific role:
  • rel="alternate" tells search engines the URL is an alternate version of a page
  • hreflang="x" specifies the language and optional region the page targets (for example: en, en-GB, fr-CA)
  • href="URL" points to the full, absolute URL of the corresponding page version
This tag tells search engines how to interpret alternate language and region URLs, and it is the standard way to add hreflang using an HTML link in the HTML header of your HTML documents.

Self-Referencing and Bidirectional Requirements

For hreflang to work properly, every page version should include a full set of hreflang tags, including one pointing to itself. The hreflang tags should also be bidirectional, which means:
  • If the English page references the French page, the French page must reference the English page
  • If there are three or more versions, each page should reference all available versions
This helps search engines confirm that the pages are connected and prevents hreflang signals from being ignored. In international SEO, hreflang and canonical tag setups should also be aligned so that canonicalization does not contradict the hreflang relationships, since canonical tags can be used to reinforce the preferred URL within each language or regional group.

The x-default Fallback

The x-default value is used for a page that is not tied to one language or region and works as a fallback. It is often used for:
  • A language selector page
  • A global homepage that lets users choose their preferred site version
If a user’s language or location does not match any of your listed hreflang versions, search engines may use the x-default page as the default option. This is why x-default hreflang is often included, and many SEO teams refer to it as the hreflang x-default tag.

Common Hreflang Codes and Practical Examples

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Primary Language Codes You Should Know

Hreflang language codes are based on the ISO 639-1 standard, which uses a two-letter ISO 639-1 language code to represent a language. These codes are used in hreflang to tell search engines what language a page is written in. Some of the most common language codes include:
  • en – English
  • es – Spanish
  • fr – French
  • de – German
  • zh – Chinese
  • ja – Japanese
  • pt – Portuguese
  • ar – Arabic

Practical Language + Region Examples

If your site targets the same language in different countries, you can combine a language code with a region code. This tells search engines which version of the page is intended for a specific market. For example, en-US targets English users in the United States, while en-GB targets English users in the United Kingdom. Common language + region examples include:
  • en-US – English (United States)
  • en-GB – English (United Kingdom)
  • en-CA – English (Canada)
  • fr-CA – French (Canada)
  • es-MX – Spanish (Mexico)
  • de-DE – German (Germany)
These values are based on well-known standards like language codes and ISO 3166-1. When the same language is spoken in multiple countries, but people have different search intents, a regional version of a page may be needed.

We provide professional translation and localization services to help you create accurate, natural, and market-appropriate multilingual content that supports proper international SEO targeting. Contact us for more information. For full multilingual website support, submit a request on this special page.

How to Implement Hreflang in Your SEO Strategy

SEO specialist reviewing hreflang implementation and multilingual site structure.

HTML <head> Method

The most common way to implement hreflang as part of an SEO strategy is by adding tags in the <head> section of each page. Each page should include a complete set of hreflang tags that point to:
  • Every alternate language or regional version
  • The page itself (self-referencing)
This helps search engines confirm that the pages are related and intended for different audiences. To avoid conflicting signals, each group of URLs should use only one hreflang and its implementation method. This is the standard approach to implementing hreflang tags, and it is how most websites add hreflang tags directly in HTML.

XML Sitemap Implementation

For larger websites, hreflang can also be added through an XML sitemap instead of placing tags on every page. This method is often easier to manage when working with a high number of URLs.

An XML sitemap with hreflang annotations typically lists:
  • The main page URL
  • All alternate language or country versions associated with that page
As with the HTML method, hreflang should be implemented consistently and not mixed with other methods for the same set of URLs. This approach is commonly used to manage hreflang tags in your xml, especially when you need to add a set of hreflang tags across many pages at scale.

HTTP Header Method

Hreflang can also be implemented using HTTP headers. This approach is primarily used for non-HTML files, such as PDFs, images, or other file types that do not have a <head> section.

Because these file types cannot include HTML tags, HTTP headers are the only way to signal alternate language or regional versions to search engines. While this method is less common, it is essential when managing multilingual non-HTML content.

Common Hreflang Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Team collaborating on multilingual website updates and international SEO strategy.

Incorrect Code Usage

One of the most common hreflang mistakes is using incorrect or non-standard language or region codes. Search engines might not pay any attention to hreflang values if they don't follow the correct formats.
Correct code standards:
  • Language codes must follow ISO 639-1 two-letter values (e.g., en, fr)
  • Region codes must follow ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country values (e.g., US, CA)
  • The correct format is language-region (for example, en-US)
Common errors include:
  • Using invalid or non-existent codes (for example, fr-QC targeting Quebec instead of fr-CA)
  • Reversing the language and region order (for example, US-en instead of en-US)
  • Using language–region combinations that do not accurately reflect the intended audience

Missing Self-Referencing Tags

Each page should include a complete hreflang annotation set that references all alternate language or regional versions, including a self-referencing hreflang tag.
Best-practice requirements:
  • Include an hreflang tag that points to the page itself
  • Reference every alternate version, not a partial set
  • Ensure all hreflang relationships are reciprocal (bidirectional)
If self-referencing or return links are missing, search engines may disregard the hreflang signals because the relationships between pages cannot be reliably confirmed. This can also increase the likelihood of international duplicate content issues across similar pages.

Confusion Between Language and Locale

Another common issue is conflating language targeting with country targeting, which can lead to ambiguous signals.
Examples of this issue:
  • Using only hreflang="en" when separate pages exist for en-US and en-GB
  • Failing to distinguish between users who share a language but are in different countries
How to avoid it:
  • Use language-only hreflang values when a single version serves all users of that language
  • Add region codes when different country-specific versions of the same language exist
Including the appropriate region code helps search engines serve the correct version in the correct geographic context, and this is one of the most important best practices for hreflang when you need to use the hreflang system properly.

Tools and Resources to Manage Hreflang

Google search page representing hreflang testing and search results by region.
Hreflang errors are easy to miss, and even small issues can cause search engines to ignore your setup. To validate and maintain correct hreflang implementation, it’s best to use dedicated tools such as an hreflang tag checker, an hreflang validator, or a full SEO audit platform.

These hreflang tools can help identify common problems, including:
  • Invalid language or region codes
  • Missing self-referencing hreflang tags
  • Missing reciprocal (return) links
  • Broken hreflang URLs (404 errors, redirect issues)
  • Incomplete hreflang sets (not all versions referenced)
Google Search Console can help monitor crawl and indexing issues on other pages, but it doesn't provide a comprehensive hreflang report. For that reason, Search Console should be treated as a supporting resource, while dedicated hreflang audit tools remain the primary method for auditing your website for hreflang and updating your hreflang configuration over time.

Use Hreflang Tags for International SEO with Expert Multilingual Support

Reviewing technical SEO documentation related to hreflang and language codes.
Need help managing multilingual website content and implementing hreflang correctly? We provide professional translation and localization services that support international SEO—from translating and adapting key landing pages to maintaining consistent terminology across language and regional versions. Whether you’re expanding into new markets or cleaning up an existing multilingual site, our linguists help ensure your content is accurate, natural, and aligned with technical SEO best practices.

Avoid mismatched language pages, confusing regional targeting, and costly fixes caused by inconsistent translations or incorrect hreflang signals. Contact us today to strengthen your multilingual content strategy and help search engines show the right version of your website to the right audience.
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