Beginner - Answer 1️⃣
CSS specificity is like a scoring system that decides which style rules apply to an element. When you have multiple style rules that could affect an element, specificity helps determine which rule wins. The basic idea is:
- Inline styles (styles in an HTML tag) have the highest score.
- IDs in CSS selectors score higher than classes and attribute selectors.
- Classes, attributes, and pseudo-classes (like :hover) come next.
- Element and pseudo-element selectors (like div, p, ::before) have the lowest score.
If two rules have the same score, the one that comes last in the CSS file wins. It’s important to understand this so you can figure out why some styles might not be applying as you expect.
Intermediate - Answer 2️⃣
In CSS, specificity is a system used by browsers to determine which styles should be applied to an element when there are multiple conflicting rules. This system ranks selectors based on their importance level and the specificity score is calculated accordingly. The higher the specificity of a selector, the more likely its styles will be applied. The order of specificity from highest to lowest is as follows:
Inline styles - Applying styles directly within an HTML element using the style attribute. These styles are considered the most specific and typically override styles declared elsewhere.
IDs - Selectors that use an ID, indicated by a # symbol (e.g., #navbar). ID selectors are very specific because they are meant to be unique within a page.
Classes, attributes, and pseudo-classes - These include class selectors (e.g., .button), attribute selectors (e.g., [type="text"]), and pseudo-classes (e.g., :hover). They are less specific than IDs but more specific than tag selectors.
Tags and pseudo-elements - These are the least specific types of selectors. Tag selectors target HTML elements directly (e.g., div, h1), and pseudo-elements (e.g., ::before, ::after) are used to style specific parts of an element.
At the top of the specificity hierarchy is the !important rule. When !important is added to a CSS property, it overrides any other declarations, regardless of their specificity. However, overusing !important can make your CSS hard to maintain and should be used sparingly. It’s generally recommended to rely on the natural specificity rules and well-structured CSS to manage your styles rather than resorting to !important.