#title: First Letter Pseudo Element date: 2019-05-03 00:00:00 Z permalink: "/first-letter/" layout: post column: single description: Set specific styling for the first letter of a text element with CSS summary: Set specific styling for the first letter of a text element with this handy and fully supported CSS pseudo element. redirect_from: "/2019/05/03/first-letter/"

In today's TypeTip™ we will be taking a look at the often overlooked :first-letter CSS pseudo element. Though you might only use this for specific article-format web pages, it's still a nice-to-have in your web dev toolset.

#The HTML

Like most pseudo elements, nothing has to change with your pre-existing HTML structure:

<article>
    <p>It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.</p>
</article>

#The CSS

Here's where the magic happens:

p:first-letter {
    color: orangered;
    font-size: 250%;
}

#Live CodePen

See the Pen First Letter Pseudo Element by Bradley Taunt (@bradleytaunt) on CodePen.