Overflow-Wrap vs. Word-Break: What's the Difference and When Should You Use Them?

Clarifying the Distinction Between Overflow-Wrap and Word-Break

When encountering lengthy text that exceeds its designated display area, web developers often grapple with the question of how to handle line breaks. Two properties designed to address this issue are overflow-wrap and word-break. While often used interchangeably, a deeper understanding of their distinct purposes is crucial for effective text formatting.

Overflow-Wrap: Preventing Text Overflow

The overflow-wrap property specifies whether the browser can break lines within words to prevent text from spilling outside its container. By default, most browsers will not allow line breaks innerhalb of words, leading to potential text overflow. Setting overflow-wrap to "break-word" allows for line breaks within words, preventing such overflow.

Word-Break: Controlling Word Wrapping

While overflow-wrap governs the breaking of lines within words, word-break controls how words themselves are broken or not. It offers three primary values:

• normal: No word breaking is permitted, even at line breaks.
• break-all: Words are broken at any point to fit within the available space.
• keep-all: Words are kept intact and not broken mid-word.

Best Practices for Managing Long Links

When dealing with extremely long links, a common practice is to combine overflow-wrap and word-break. Setting overflow-wrap to "break-word" allows for line breaks within words, while using word-break: "break-all" ensures that links are broken at any point within the text. This combination provides optimal support across various browsers and guarantees that long links do not extend beyond their intended width.

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