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CSS Word Break

Reading time 1 min
Published Aug 8, 2017
Updated Sep 29, 2019

How to make CSS break words

By default, text lines can only be broken at a space or a hyphen. By using the CSS word-break property, you can modify the way the browser handles text that doesn't fit between the edges of the element.

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CSS word break syntax

To syntax for this property is as follows:

word-break: value;

You can choose one of three available values.

The default value for CSS word-break is normal. This means the browser will use the default rules for breaking words:

Example
p.learn {
    word-break: normal;
}

Specifying the break-all will prevent overflowing the container – the browser will be able to break the line between any two characters:

Example
p.learn {
    word-break: break-all;
}

The keep-all value behaves as normal, but doesn't include any CSS word breaks between Asian characters:

Example
p.learn {
    word-break: keep-all;
}

Note: Safari and iOS browsers do not support the keep-all value.

Browser support

Browser image
Chrome
1+
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Edge
12+
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Firefox
15+
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IE
5.5+
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Opera
15+
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Safari
3+

Mobile browser support

Browser image
Chrome
18+
Browser image
Firefox
15+
Browser image
Opera
All
Browser image
Safari
2+