Line Height and Letter Spacing in CSS

CSS

"Learning CSS is like solving a puzzle—except if one piece is out of place, your entire website ends up looking like a closet hit by a tornado!"

The Secret Sauce of Readability! 

Have you ever read a paragraph that felt too squished together? Or maybe the words were spaced out so much that it felt like a treasure hunt just to read a sentence? Well, my friend, welcome to the world of line height and letter spacing! 

These two properties help make text more readable and aesthetically pleasing. Get them right, and your content will feel smooth and elegant. Get them wrong, and... well, let’s just say it could look like a chaotic ransom note. 

Line Height: Giving Your Text Some Breathing Room

The line-height property controls the space between lines of text. If you’ve ever adjusted the spacing in a Word document, this is the CSS version of that.

Example:

p {
  line-height: 1.5;
}

• Improves readability, especially for long paragraphs.
• Can be set in numbers, pixels, or percentages.
• Too small? Text feels cramped. Too big? Sentences feel disconnected.

Different Ways to Set Line Height:

line-height: normal;  /* Default value */
line-height: 1.5;  /* Relative to font size */
line-height: 150%; /* Percentage-based */
line-height: 24px; /* Fixed size */

Pro Tip: Use relative values (1.5, 150%) instead of fixed values (24px) so your spacing scales with different screen sizes.

Letter Spacing: Adjusting the Space Between Letters

The letter-spacing property allows you to control how much space exists between each letter. This is particularly useful for headings or creative typography.

Example:

h1 {
  letter-spacing: 2px;
}

• Helps improve readability for some fonts.
• Can make headings look more elegant.
• Too much space? Looks awkward. Too little? Letters start to blend together.

Different Ways to Set Letter Spacing:

letter-spacing: normal;  /* Default value */
letter-spacing: 2px;  /* Fixed spacing */
letter-spacing: -1px; /* Condensed text */
letter-spacing: 0.1em; /* Relative spacing */

Pro Tip: Avoid excessive letter-spacing on body text. It’s best used for titles, headings, or stylistic purposes.

Conclusion: Mastering Text Spacing

• Line Height – Ensures text has enough breathing room. 
• Letter Spacing – Controls the spacing between characters. 

With the right balance of these two properties, your website will have text that is easy on the eyes and visually appealing.