word-wrap
The overflow
-wrap
property is used to specify whether or not the browser may break lines within words in order to prevent overflow when an otherwise unbreakable string is too long to fit in its containing box.
Note: Originally a Microsoft (unprefixed) proprietary extension called word-wrap
, and implemented by most browsers, it has been renamed to overflow-wrap
. The original name word-wrap
is now considered an "alternate name" for overflow-wrap
.
Initial value |
normal |
Applies to |
all elements |
Inherited |
yes |
Media |
visual |
Computed value |
as specified |
Animation type |
discrete |
Canonical order |
the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar |
Syntax
/* Keyword values */
overflow-wrap: normal;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
/* Global values */
overflow-wrap: inherit;
overflow-wrap: initial;
overflow-wrap: unset;
Values
normal
- Indicates that lines may only break at normal word break points.
break-word
- Indicates that normally unbreakable words may be broken at arbitrary points if there are no otherwise acceptable break points in the line.
normal | break-word
Examples
CSS
.normal {
width: 13em;
background: gold;
}
.breakWord {
width: 13em;
background: gold;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
}
HTML
<p class="normal">FStrPrivFinÄndG (Gesetz zur Änderung des Fernstraßenbauprivatfinanzierungsgesetzes und straßenverkehrsrechtlicher Vorschriften)</p>
<p class="breakWord">FStrPrivFinÄndG (Gesetz zur Änderung des Fernstraßenbauprivatfinanzierungsgesetzes und straßenverkehrsrechtlicher Vorschriften)</p>
Result
Specifications
Browser compatibility
Feature | Firefox (Gecko) | Chrome | Edge | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
Basic support (as word-wrap ) |
3.5 (1.9.1) | 1.0 | (Yes) | 5.5 | 10.5 | 1.0 |
overflow-wrap |
49 (49) | (Yes) | ? | ? | (Yes) | ? |
Feature | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | Android | Edge | IE Mobile | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
Basic support (as word-wrap ) | 1.0 (1.9.1) | 1.0 | (Yes) | ? | ? | 1.0 |
overflow-wrap |
49 (49) | (Yes) | ? | ? | (Yes) | ? |
-
word-wrap:break-word
can be used to work around lack of pre{white-space:pre-wrap}
support in IE 5.5-7. See white-space
for an example. - IE8 introduced
-ms-word-wrap
as a synonym for word-wrap
. Don't use the -ms-
prefix.
See also