text-wrap: balance
The text-wrap: balance CSS declaration balances the length of each line when text is broken into multiple lines. Also known as headline balancing.
Overview
The text-wrap: balance CSS declaration balances the length of each line when text is broken into multiple lines. Also known as headline balancing.
Browser support
| Feature | Desktop | Mobile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Chrome Android | Safari iOS | |
css.properties.text-wrap-style.balance | 130 | 130 | 124 | 17.5 | 130 | 17.5 |
| CSS property | ||||||
balance | 114 | 114 | 121 | 17.5 | 114 | 17.5 |
1+Supported (version) Not supported ※Has note Sub-feature descriptions sourced from MDN Web Docs (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Syntax
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
text-wrap: balance;
}
/* Broader specification */
.balanced-heading {
text-wrap: balance;
max-width: 40ch;
} Live demo
Use cases
Reading rhythm
Use text-wrap: balance to improve how text wraps, aligns, or scales in dense layouts and editorial UI.
Language-aware text
Adjust typography when script direction, spacing, or writing rules differ across languages.
Cautions
- Test with real content rather than short placeholder strings because typographic behavior changes with length and language.
- Prefer the smallest rule that solves the layout problem so text remains easy to maintain.
Accessibility
- Typography choices should preserve readability at high zoom and on narrow screens.
- Avoid stylistic settings that reduce comprehension or make scanning harder.
Related links
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