CSS word-spacing Property

The word-spacing property allows changing the space between the words in a piece of text, not the individual characters.

This property can have either a positive or negative value. A positive value adds additional space between words, whereas a negative value removes the space between words. When the property is set to "normal", the defined font will specify the space between the words.

If you want to remove the space between inline block elements, you can set the white-space property to "zero".

The word-spacing property can be animatable with the transition property.

The word-spacing property is used on inline content.
Initial Value normal
AppliExamplees to All elements. It also applies to ::first-letter and ::first-line.
Inherited Yes.
Animatable Yes. Word-spacing is animatable.
Version CSS1
DOM Syntax object.style.wordSpacing = "40px";

Syntax

word-spacing: normal | length | initial | inherit;

Example of the word-spacing property with the "normal" value:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Title of the document</title>
    <style>
      .text {
        word-spacing: normal;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Word-spacing property example</h2>
    <p class="text">Lorem ipsum is simply dummy text...</p>
  </body>
</html>

In the following example the space between the words is 20px:

Example of the word-spacing property specified in "px":

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Title of the document</title>
    <style>
      .text {
        word-spacing: 20px;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Word-spacing property example</h2>
    <p class="text">Lorem ipsum is simply dummy text...</p>
  </body>
</html>

Result

CSS word-spacing Property

Values

Value Description Play it
normal Specifies normal word spacing. This is the default value of this property. Play it »
length Specifies an extra word spacing. Can be specified in px, pt, cm, em, etc. Negative values are valid. Play it »
initial Makes the property use its default value. Play it »
inherit Inherits the property from its parents element.

Browser support

chrome firefox safari opera
1.0+ 1.0+ 1.0+ 3.5+

Practice Your Knowledge

What does the CSS 'word-spacing' property do?

Quiz Time: Test Your Skills!

Ready to challenge what you've learned? Dive into our interactive quizzes for a deeper understanding and a fun way to reinforce your knowledge.

Do you find this helpful?