How can hreflang provide a language-wide alternative beside regional pages?

Definition: A language-only hreflang value such as en identifies a page for English users without a region subtag. When several URLs target English in different locales, Google documents a language-wide catchall URL for geographically unspecified users of that language.

Key facts

• Google's localized versions documentation recommends a catchall URL when several alternate URLs target the same language in different locales.
• Its example maps en-IE, en-CA and en-AU to regional pages, then maps en to a generic English page for users in the US, UK and other English-speaking locations.
• Every language version lists itself and all other language versions. Google also requires alternate URLs to be fully qualified, including http or https.
• x-default has a different role: it matches a language that is not explicitly listed and is recommended for a fallback page such as a language selector.
• RFC 5646 defines language tags as sequences of subtags. Its syntax makes the region subtag optional, so a language-only tag and a language plus region tag are distinct forms.

What does the language-wide alternative cover?

Google describes the language-only URL as a catchall for users whose language matches the regional pages but whose geography is unspecified. In Google's example, the regional pages are en-IE, en-CA and en-AU; the generic en page serves searchers in the US, UK and other English-speaking locations. Google says the generic page can also be one of the specific regional pages.

The language-only value is different from x-default. The former identifies a language without a regional restriction. The latter is reserved for a page that matches a language not explicitly listed, with Google recommending it for language or country selectors and auto-redirecting home pages.

How should the annotations be arranged?

For each page variant, Google's HTML instructions put a link element in the document head for every variant, including the current page. The set of links is identical on every version, so the generic English page also points to the regional pages and those pages point back to it.

<head>
  <title>Widgets, Inc</title>
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-GB"
       href="https://en-gb.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-US"
       href="https://en-us.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en"
       href="https://en.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="de"
       href="https://de.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default"
       href="https://www.example.com/" />
</head>

Google documents three equivalent delivery methods for these annotations: HTML, HTTP headers and an XML sitemap. The HTML method is useful when a site can place the links in the head; the HTTP method also covers non-HTML files such as PDFs. Alternate URLs can use different domains, but each URL must include its transport method and each page must carry the same complete set.

What do the language codes represent?

RFC 5646 explains that a language tag is built from subtags separated by hyphens. Its grammar puts the language first, followed optionally by a script and a region. A tag such as en therefore identifies English without a region subtag, while en-US adds the US region. The RFC permits a region subtag with two letters or three digits.

Google's localized-versions guidance applies this structure to hreflang: the language code comes first, and a country or region code alone is invalid. The page also states that Google's algorithms determine the page language; hreflang identifies the intended language and region of alternate URLs.

How can you check the fallback?

Check that every regional page and the language-wide page contain the same link set, including a self-reference. Then check that each URL is complete and that the reciprocal links exist. Google says it ignores tags when two pages do not point to each other. The generic language value belongs beside the regional values; x-default belongs beside them only when a separate page handles languages that are not explicitly listed.

Related terms

• hreflang
• BCP 47 language tags
• XML sitemap
• HTML lang attribute
• Should translated pages have separate URLs?

FAQ

Is en a replacement for en-US?

No. en is the language-wide alternative, while en-US identifies English for a regional audience. Google presents them together when a site has regional variations.

Should the generic page be a separate URL?

It can be a separate URL, and Google says it can also be one of the specific regional pages. The selected page must still appear in the complete alternate set.

Is x-default the same as a language-only fallback?

No. x-default matches languages that have no explicit hreflang entry. A language-only value such as en covers users of that language without a regional restriction.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Tell Google about localized versions of your page", 21 September 2026
2. IETF, "RFC 5646: Tags for Identifying Languages", September 2009

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