CSS Pseudo-elements

How to use CSS pseudo-elements like ::first-letter, ::before, and ::after to style specific parts of elements, insert content, and customize typography.

What are Pseudo-Elements?

A CSS pseudo-element is used to style specified parts of an element.

For example, it can be used to:

Style the first letter, or line, of an element
Insert content before, or after, the content of an element

Syntax

The syntax of pseudo-elements:

selector::pseudo-element {  
	property:  value;  
}

All CSS Pseudo Elements

Selector	Example	Example description
::after	p::after	Insert something after the content of each `<p>` element
::before	p::before	Insert something before the content of each `<p>` element
::first-letter	p::first-letter	Selects the first letter of each `<p>` element
::first-line	p::first-line	Selects the first line of each `<p>` element
::marker	::marker	Selects the markers of list items
::selection	p::selection	Selects the portion of an element that is selected by a user

Common examples

`::first-line` Pseudo-element

The ::first-line pseudo-element is used to add a special style to the first line of a text.

The following example formats the first line of the text in all <p> elements:

p::first-line {  
	color:  #ff0000;  
	font-variant:  small-caps;  
}

The following properties apply to the ::first-line pseudo-element:

font properties
color properties
background properties
word-spacing
letter-spacing
text-decoration
vertical-align
text-transform
line-height
clear

`::first-letter` Pseudo-element

The ::first-letter pseudo-element is used to add a special style to the first letter of a text.

The following example formats the first letter of the text in all <p> elements:

p::first-letter {  
	color:  #ff0000;  
	font-size:  xx-large;  
}

The following properties apply to the ::first-letter pseudo-element:

font properties
color properties
background properties
margin properties
padding properties
border properties
text-decoration
vertical-align (only if "float" is "none")
text-transform
line-height
float
clear

Pseudo-elements and HTML Classes

Pseudo-elements can be combined with HTML classes: For example, display the first letter of paragraphs with class="intro", in red and in a larger size:

p.intro::first-letter {  
	color:  #ff0000;  
	font-size:  200%;  
}

Multiple Pseudo-elements

Several pseudo-elements can also be combined.

Example

p::first-letter {  
	color:  #ff0000;  
	font-size:  xx-large;  
}  
  
p::first-line {  
	color:  #0000ff;  
	font-variant:  small-caps;  
}

::before Pseudo-element

The ::before pseudo-element can be used to insert some content before the content of an element.

The following example inserts an image before the content of each <h1> element:

h1::before {  
	content:  url(my.gif);  
}

::after Pseudo-element

The ::after pseudo-element can be used to insert some content after the content of an element.

The following example inserts an image after the content of each <h1> element:

h1::after {  
	content:  url(my.gif);  
}

::marker Pseudo-element

The ::marker pseudo-element selects the markers of list items.

The following example styles the markers of list items:

::marker {  
	color:  red;  
	font-size:  23px;  
}

::selection Pseudo-element

The ::selection pseudo-element matches the portion of an element that is selected by a user.

The following CSS properties can be applied to ::selection: color, background, cursor, and outline.

The following example makes the selected text red on a yellow background:

::selection {  
	color:  red;  
	background:  yellow;  
}