Set the font size with CSS

The font-size property in CSS controls the size of text in your web pages. You can specify font sizes using various units and keyword values to create visual hierarchy and improve readability.

Syntax

font-size: value;

Font Size Values

The font-size property accepts several types of values:

  • Keywords: xx-small, x-small, small, medium, large, x-large, xx-large
  • Relative keywords: smaller, larger
  • Units: pixels (px), percentages (%), em, rem

Example: Different Font Size Values

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Font Size Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
    <p style="font-size: 10px;">This font size is 10 pixels</p>
    <p style="font-size: small;">This font size is small</p>
    <p style="font-size: medium;">This font size is medium</p>
    <p style="font-size: large;">This font size is large</p>
    <p style="font-size: 150%;">This font size is 150% of parent</p>
    <p style="font-size: 1.5em;">This font size is 1.5em</p>
</body>
</html>

Using CSS Classes

Instead of inline styles, it's better practice to use CSS classes:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        .heading { font-size: 24px; }
        .subheading { font-size: 18px; }
        .body-text { font-size: 14px; }
        .small-text { font-size: 12px; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1 class="heading">Main Heading</h1>
    <h2 class="subheading">Subheading</h2>
    <p class="body-text">This is regular body text.</p>
    <p class="small-text">This is small text for footnotes.</p>
</body>
</html>

Font Size Units Comparison

Unit Description Example
px Fixed pixel size font-size: 16px
% Percentage of parent element font-size: 120%
em Relative to parent font size font-size: 1.2em
rem Relative to root font size font-size: 1.2rem

Conclusion

The font-size property offers flexible ways to control text size using keywords, pixels, percentages, and relative units. Choose the appropriate unit based on your design needs and responsive requirements.

Updated on: 2026-03-15T23:18:59+05:30

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