This paper presents a dual-band planar antenna with a compact radiator for 2.5/5.8-GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) applications. The antenna consists of an E-shaped and T-shaped radiating elements to generate two resonant modes for dual-band operation. The T-element fed directly by a 50 ohm micro strip line is designed to generate a frequency band at around 5.5GHz to cover the two higher bands of the WLAN system (using the IEEE 802.11a standard). The E-element is coupled-fed through the T-element and designed to generate a frequency band at 2.44GHz to cover the lower band of the WLAN system (using the 802.11b/g standards). As a result, the E- and T-elements together are very compact with a total area of only 13.75*8.4mm ² . Parametric study on the key dimensions is investigated by computer simulation using ADS (ADVANCE DESIGN SYSTEM).The antenna is designed on a 40*30*0.2mm ³ size with FR4 substrate. The stimulation results are measured for the return loss, radiation pattern, gain and efficiency.