text-justify

Limited availability

This feature is not Baseline because it does not work in some of the most widely-used browsers.

The text-justify CSS property sets what type of justification should be applied to text when text-align: justify; is set on an element.

Syntax

css

text-justify: none;
text-justify: auto;
text-justify: inter-word;
text-justify: inter-character;
text-justify: distribute; /* Deprecated value */

/* Global values */
text-justify: inherit;
text-justify: initial;
text-justify: revert;
text-justify: revert-layer;
text-justify: unset;

Values

none: The text justification is turned off. This has the same effect as not setting text-align at all, although it is useful if you need to turn justification on and off for some reason.
auto: The browser chooses the best type of justification for the current situation based on a balance between performance and quality, but also on what is most appropriate for the language of the text (e.g., English, CJK languages, etc.). This is the default justification used if text-justify is not set at all.
inter-word: The text is justified by adding space between words (effectively varying word-spacing), which is most appropriate for languages that separate words using spaces, like English or Korean.
inter-character: The text is justified by adding space between characters (effectively varying letter-spacing), which is most appropriate for languages like Japanese.
distribute: Exhibits the same behavior as inter-character; this value is kept for backwards compatibility.

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	inline-level and table-cell elements
Inherited	yes
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

text-justify = 
  auto             |
  none             |
  inter-word       |
  inter-character

Examples

Demonstration of the different values of text-justify

<p class="none">
  <code>text-justify: none</code> —<br />Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
  adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id
  mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat
  justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.
</p>
<p class="auto">
  <code>text-justify: auto</code> —<br />Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
  adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id
  mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat
  justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.
</p>
<p class="dist">
  <code>text-justify: distribute</code> —<br />Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
  consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit,
  dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar,
  consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.
</p>
<p class="word">
  <code>text-justify: inter-word</code> —<br />Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
  consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit,
  dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar,
  consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.
</p>
<p class="char">
  <code>text-justify: inter-character</code> —<br />Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
  consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit,
  dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar,
  consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.
</p>

css

p {
  font-size: 1.5em;
  border: 1px solid black;
  padding: 10px;
  width: 95%;
  margin: 10px auto;
  text-align: justify;
}

.none {
  text-justify: none;
}

.auto {
  text-justify: auto;
}

.dist {
  text-justify: distribute;
}

.word {
  text-justify: inter-word;
}

.char {
  text-justify: inter-character;
}

Specifications

Specification
CSS Text Module Level 3 # text-justify-property

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser