Typography

CSS text-decoration-style Property

Sets the style of the text decoration line

Syntax

CSS
text-decoration-style: solid | double | dotted | dashed | wavy;

Values

ValueDescription
solidSingle solid line (default)
doubleDouble line
dottedDotted line
dashedDashed line
wavyWavy line

Example

CSS
.spelling-error {
  text-decoration-line: underline;
  text-decoration-style: wavy;
  text-decoration-color: red;
}

Understanding CSS text-decoration-style

The CSS text-decoration-style property sets the style of the text decoration line. As part of the Typography module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.

You can set text-decoration-style to values such as solid, double, dotted, dashed, 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 text-decoration-style property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like text-decoration, text-decoration-line, text-decoration-color to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.

Browser support for text-decoration-style 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.textDecorationStyle or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.

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