diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Writers/HTML.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Writers/HTML.hs
index 2c7874609..5843bc5ef 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Writers/HTML.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Writers/HTML.hs
@@ -546,7 +546,7 @@ inlineToHtml opts inline =
                                         $ strToHtml str
                              Right h -> return h
     (Strikeout lst)  -> inlineListToHtml opts lst >>=
-                        return . (H.span ! A.style "text-decoration: line-through;")
+                        return . H.del
     (SmallCaps lst)   -> inlineListToHtml opts lst >>=
                          return . (H.span ! A.style "font-variant: small-caps;")
     (Superscript lst) -> inlineListToHtml opts lst >>= return . H.sup
diff --git a/tests/writer.html b/tests/writer.html
index e9f2b96f9..f38ad5079 100644
--- a/tests/writer.html
+++ b/tests/writer.html
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ Blah
 <p><strong><em>This is strong and em.</em></strong></p>
 <p>So is <strong><em>this</em></strong> word.</p>
 <p>This is code: <code>&gt;</code>, <code>$</code>, <code>\</code>, <code>\$</code>, <code>&lt;html&gt;</code>.</p>
-<p><span style="text-decoration: line-through;">This is <em>strikeout</em>.</span></p>
+<p><del>This is <em>strikeout</em>.</del></p>
 <p>Superscripts: a<sup>bc</sup>d a<sup><em>hello</em></sup> a<sup>hello there</sup>.</p>
 <p>Subscripts: H<sub>2</sub>O, H<sub>23</sub>O, H<sub>many of them</sub>O.</p>
 <p>These should not be superscripts or subscripts, because of the unescaped spaces: a^b c^d, a~b c~d.</p>