When to use inline, block, or inline-block display in css
Jul 06, 2025 am 12:28 AM
inline
, block
, or inline-block
mainly depends on how you want the elements to be arranged and affect the layout. They each behave differently and are suitable for different scenarios.

Use inline
: When you just want it to "integrate into the text stream"
<p> inline
is one of the default display methods, suitable for elements that do not need to interrupt text streams. For example, <span></span>
is a typical inline element.

-
<li> It won't take a single line
<li> The width/height setting is invalid (width/height does not work)
<li> The inner margin and outer margin are only effective in the left and right directions, and the upper and lower sides do not affect the row height.
-
<li> Small segment style changes in text
<li> When the icon is embedded in the text
<li> If you don't want to destroy the current paragraph structure, you will bold, change color, etc.

<p>This is a paragraph of text that emphasizes content. </p><p> Here
<em>
should keep inline so that it will appear naturally in the middle of the sentence without affecting the overall layout. Use block
: When you want to form blocks independently, support the width
<p> Elements of block
type will automatically occupy a whole row and can set width and height. Common block elements include <div>
, <p>
, <h1>
, etc.- <li> Automatically wrap the line, disconnect the front and back<li> You can set width, height, margin, padding<li> The default width is 100% of the parent container
- <li> Each independent block, such as navigation bar items, card components<li> Content area that needs to be controlled for height or width<li> Clear the basic units for floating or layout
<ul> <li><a href="#">Home</a></li> <li><a href="#">About Us</a></li> </ul><p> Set
display: block
for each <li>
, so that they can be arranged vertically, and the click area is easier to control. Use inline-block
: Want the control of flexible blocks inline
<p> inline-block
is a compromise between the two. It will not force line wrapping, but can also set width, height, inner margin, etc.- <li> Not exclusive to one line<li> Support width, height and padding/margin<li> There may be spaces between multiple inline-block elements (caused by newlines or spaces in HTML)
- <li> A set of buttons or links arranged horizontally<li> Align form controls and labels<li> Icon text combination, need to fine-tune the spacing
<span class="btn">Button 1</span><span class="btn">Button 2</span><p> And with
display: inline-block
set, the browser may leave a blank gap between the two buttons. Solutions include:
-
<li> Write HTML tags together without spaces
<li> Set
font-size: 0
for the parent container, and then restore the font size of the child elements separately
<li> Adjust with negative margin
<p> Basically that's it. By understanding the characteristics of each display type, you can make appropriate choices based on actual layout needs.
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