::first-letter
is another useful pseudo-element that allows you to style the first letter of text within any element without the need to modify the HTML or add any specific tags like span
. The method works similarly to a scenario in which you wrapped the first letter with a specific tag.
The traditional and old way of styling the first letter looks like this:
HTML
<p>
<span class="first-letter-style">T</span>he first letter is big & orange.
</p>
CSS
.first-letter-style{
font-size: 30px;
color: #c54088;
}
And the result will look like the following style:
The first letter is big & orange.
However, a simpler way to achieve this is by using the same pseudo-element called
::first-letter
as shown in the following example:HTML
<p class="first-letter-pseudo">
The first letter is big & orange.
</p>
CSS
.first-letter-pseudo::first-letter {
font-size: 30px;
color: #c54088;
}
And the result will be the same as the first example:
The first letter is big & orange.
Browser Support
That’s it. If you’re interested in CSS, take a look at the new selectors coming our way in “CSS4” – and there’s a good reason why I’m mentioning this in parentheses… 🙂