Misc

CSS quotes Property

Sets how the browser renders quotation marks for the <q> element and content property

Syntax

CSS
quotes: none | auto | <string>+;

Values

ValueDescription
autoBrowser default quotes
noneNo quotes
'"' '"' "'" "'"Double then single quotes
"«" "»"French-style guillemets

Example

CSS
q {
  quotes: "\201C" "\201D" "\2018" "\2019";
}

Understanding CSS quotes

The CSS quotes property sets how the browser renders quotation marks for the <q> element and content property. As part of the Misc module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.

You can set quotes to values such as auto, none, '"' '"' "'" "'", "«" "»", among others. Each value changes how the browser renders the affected element, giving you fine-grained control over your page layout and design. Choosing the right value depends on the specific design requirements of your project.

Common use cases for the quotes property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like content, font-style, text-decoration to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.

Browser support for quotes is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, consider using fallback values or progressive enhancement strategies. The property can also be set dynamically via JavaScript using element.style.quotes or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.

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