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text-underline-offset

The text-underline-offset CSS property sets the offset distance of an underline text decoration line (applied using text-decoration) from its original position.

Try it

text-underline-offset is not part of the text-decoration shorthand. While an element can have multiple text-decoration lines, text-underline-offset only impacts underlining, and not other possible line decoration options such as overline or line-through.

Syntax

/* Single keyword */
text-underline-offset: auto;

/* length */
text-underline-offset: 0.1em;
text-underline-offset: 3px;

/* percentage */
text-underline-offset: 20%;

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

The text-underline-offset property is specified as a single value from the list below.

Values

auto: The browser chooses the appropriate offset for underlines.
<length>: Specifies the offset of underlines as a <length>, overriding the font file suggestion and the browser default. It is recommended to use em units so the offset scales with the font size.
<percentage>: Specifies the offset of underlines as a <percentage> of 1 em in the element's font. A percentage inherits as a relative value, and so therefore scales with changes in the font. For a given application of this property, the offset is constant across the whole box that the underline is applied to, even if there are child elements with different font sizes or vertical alignment.

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	all elements. It also applies to `::first-letter` and `::first-line`.
Inherited	yes
Percentages	refer to the font size of the element itself
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	by computed value type

Formal syntax

text-underline-offset = 
  auto          |
  <length>      |
  <percentage>

Examples

Demonstration of text-underline-offset

<p class="oneline">Here's some text with an offset wavy red underline!</p>
<br />
<p class="twolines">
  This text has lines both above and below it. Only the bottom one is offset.
</p>

p {
  text-decoration: underline wavy red;
  text-underline-offset: 1em;
}

.twolines {
  text-decoration-color: purple;
  text-decoration-line: underline overline;
}

Specifications

Specification
CSS Text Decoration Module Level 4 # underline-offset

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`text-underline-offset`	87	87	70	No	73	12.1	87	87	No	No	12.2	14.0
`percentage`	No	No	74	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No