CSS word-spacing

The CSS word-spacing property controls the space between words.

The way word-spacing works is that it specifies additional space between each word. So a value of zero for example, has no effect (normal spacing applies). Positive values increase the spacing and negative values reduce the spacing.

Also see letter-spacing for adjusting the space between each letter.

Syntax

Possible Values

normal: No additional spacing is applied. Computes to zero.
length: Specifies extra spacing in addition to the intrinsic inter-word spacing defined by the font. Negative values are OK, but there may be implementation-dependent limits.
percentage: Specifies the additional spacing as a percentage of the affected character's advance width (the proper distance between the glyph's initial pen position and the next glyph's initial pen position).

In addition, all CSS properties also accept the following CSS-wide keyword values as the sole component of their property value:

initial: Represents the value specified as the property's initial value.
inherit: Represents the computed value of the property on the element's parent.
unset: This value acts as either inherit or initial, depending on whether the property is inherited or not. In other words, it sets all properties to their parent value if they are inheritable or to their initial value if not inheritable.

General Information

Initial Value: normal
Applies To: All elements
Inherited?: Yes
Media: Visual
Animatable: Yes (see example)

Example Code

Official Specifications

CSS Text Module Level 4 (W3C Editor's Draft)
CSS Text Module Level 3 (W3C Candidate Recommendation)
CSS Level 2.1 (W3C Recommendation 07 June 2011)
CSS Level 1 (W3C Recommendation 17 Dec 1996)

Browser Support

Browser support for CSS properties can vary, particularly for newer or experimental features. Check current browser compatibility before using a property in production, especially when supporting older browsers.

Initial Value

CSS properties have an initial value that applies when the property has not been explicitly set. The initial value is different from the value inherited from a parent element and may vary between properties.

Inheritance

Some CSS properties inherit their computed value from their parent element by default, while others do not. The inherit, initial, unset, and revert keywords can also be used to control how a property gets its value.

Vendor Prefixes

Most modern CSS properties use the standard, unprefixed syntax. Vendor-prefixed properties such as -webkit- are mainly relevant to older browser versions or specific features and should only be used when required by your browser support targets.