Question: Easy question, it is valid to have overlapping spans in html?

Example:

```
<span id="1">This is <span id="2"> some text </span> some other text </span>
                                              ^                        ^
                                            End1                     End2

```

Edit: 

I see now that the spans closing tag would be ambiguous about which one it is closing, and that first `</span>` would close span id = 2, not 1 like I intended.

My problem is, I have a block of text which I'm trying to highlight based on what the mouse hovers over. This block of text is composed of sections, some of which "overlap" eachother. I'm trying to use some jQuery and HTML to present this document so when I hover over the sections, the appropriate one will be highlighted.

So, in my example above, the first span is meant to be ended with the first span close tag, and the second span is meant to be ended to with the second span close tag. This is because of the semantics of my document, these are two overlapping segments.

I want it so when I hover to the left, it will only highlight up to span id = 1 and the first span close, if I hover between the two "overlapping" spans, it will highlight both of them, and if I hover to the right, it will highlight from span id=2 to the last span close.

However, I'm starting to think this isn't possible. Is there any way I can distinguish segments of text in HTML that allows overlapping? So my jQuery script that highlights when I hover over different spans will highlight the correct portions.

Should I alternate between div's and spans? Would that disambiguate what I'm closing then and allow me the do the proper highlighting with my jQuery hover script? I'm wondering about more than 2 segments overlapping now. Sigh, I wish I could just be explicate about what I'm closing.

Answer: 
I know, its too late to answer the question. But, this could help someone.

Yes! Its totally correct that no tags can overlap in html. I had exact scenario, mentioned as in above question. **But, everything has a solution!** We can solve this problem using html tag versioning!

The html snippet, mentioned in the above problem can be break like,

```
<span id="1_1">This is </span><span id="1_2"><span id="2_1"> some text </span></span><span id="2_2"> some other text </span>

```

Now, you have to add a custom handlers for your mouse hovers. Through handler callbacks, you need to pass span id to JavaScript. In JavaScript controller, you need to preserve a appropriate map of `parent id` with all `child ids` ( e.g. for version 1.x; `{'1': ['1_1', '1_2', '1_3']}` etc ). Now, whenever you hovers a mouse over any span, you would be able to find all of its siblings. Here is the trick! Post this, you just need to add a custom CSS class for all versions. (e.g. if you hovers mouse on id `1_1`, all `1_x` versions will get highlighted ). 

It worked smoothly for me, for all the edge cases.
No.

When we hit the first closing /span it is ambiguous which of the two opening span's you want to close.

Most people, and a computer, since it is the only legal option, will conclude you intended to close the latter span. But considering the additional context of your question I suspect you actually intended to close the former span; which is not 'legal'.

The people correcting you with "you meant nested, not overlapping" are making the same deduction; you couldn't have mean 'overlapping' because that would be illegal. I think you did indeed mean 'overlapping', but that's ok, your secret is safe with me.