word-spacing

The word-spacing CSS property sets the length of space between words and between tags.

Syntax

/* Keyword value */
word-spacing: normal;

/* <length> values */
word-spacing: 3px;
word-spacing: 0.3em;

/* <percentage> values */
word-spacing: 50%;
word-spacing: 200%;

/* Global values */
word-spacing: inherit;
word-spacing: initial;
word-spacing: revert;
word-spacing: unset;

Values

normal: The normal inter-word spacing, as defined by the current font and/or the browser.
<length>: Specifies extra spacing in addition to the intrinsic inter-word spacing defined by the font.
<percentage>: Specifies extra spacing as a percentage of the affected character’s advance width.

Examples

HTML

<div id="mozdiv1">Here are many words...</div>
<div id="mozdiv2">...and many more!</div>

CSS

#mozdiv1 {
  word-spacing: 15px;
}

#mozdiv2 {
  word-spacing: 5em;
}

Accessibility concerns

A large positive or negative word-spacing value will make the sentences the styling is applied to unreadable. For text styled with a very large positive value, the words will be so far apart that it will no longer appear to be a sentence. For text styled with a large negative value, the words will overlap each other to the point where the beginning and end of each word is unrecognizable.

Legible word-spacing must be determined on a case-by-case basis, as different font families have different character widths. There is no one value that can ensure all font families automatically maintain their legibility.

Formal definition

Initial value	`normal`
Applies to	all elements. It also applies to `::first-letter` and `::first-line`.
Inherited	yes
Percentages	refer to the width of the affected glyph
Computed value	an optimum, minimum, and maximum value, each consisting of either an absolute length, a percentage, or the keyword `normal`
Animation type	a length

Formal syntax

normal | <length>

Specifications

Specification
CSS Text Module Level 3 (CSS Text 3) # word-spacing-property

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`word-spacing`	1	12	1	6	3.5	1	1	18	4	14	1	1.0
`percentages`	No	No	45	No	No	6.1	No	No	45	No	6.1	No
`svg`	1	12	72	9	7	5.1	≤37	18	No	14	5	1.0