CSS text-wrap Property
Controls how text wrapping is performed inside an element
Syntax
text-wrap: wrap | nowrap | balance | pretty | stable;Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| wrap | Normal wrapping (default) |
| nowrap | No wrapping |
| balance | Balances line lengths for headings |
| pretty | Optimizes for better typography |
| stable | Prevents reflow when editing |
Example
h1, h2, h3 {
text-wrap: balance;
}
.paragraph {
text-wrap: pretty;
}Understanding CSS text-wrap
The CSS text-wrap property controls how text wrapping is performed inside an element. 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 text-wrap to values such as wrap, nowrap, balance, pretty, 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-wrap property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like white-space, word-break, overflow-wrap to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.
Browser support for text-wrap 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.textWrap or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.
Related Properties
white-spaceControls how whitespace inside an element is handled
word-breakSpecifies how words should break when reaching the end of a line
overflow-wrapControls whether the browser can break at normally unbreakable points to prevent overflow
hyphensSpecifies how words should be hyphenated when text wraps across lines
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