Web/CSS/ nth-of-type

The :nth-of-type() CSS pseudo-class matches elements of a given type (tag name), based on their position among a group of siblings.

/* Selects every fourth <p> element
   among any group of siblings */
p:nth-of-type(4n) {
  color: lime;
}

Syntax

The nth-of-type pseudo-class is specified with a single argument, which represents the pattern for matching elements.

See :nth-child for a more detailed explanation of its syntax.

Formal syntax

:nth-of-type( <nth> )where <nth> = <an-plus-b> | even | odd

Examples

Basic example

HTML

<div>
  <div>This element isn't counted.</div>
  <p>1st paragraph.</p>
  <p>2nd paragraph.</p>
  <div>This element isn't counted.</div>
  <p>3rd paragraph.</p>
  <p class="fancy">4th paragraph.</p>
</div>

CSS

/* Odd paragraphs */
p:nth-of-type(2n+1) {
  color: red;
}

/* Even paragraphs */
p:nth-of-type(2n) {
  color: blue;
}

/* First paragraph */
p:nth-of-type(1) {
  font-weight: bold;
}

/* This has no effect, as the .fancy class is only on the 4th p element, not the 1st */
p.fancy:nth-of-type(1) {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Selectors Level 4The definition of ':nth-of-type' in that specification.	Working Draft	Matching elements are not required to have a parent.
Selectors Level 3The definition of ':nth-of-type' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`:nth-of-type()`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12 Notes' Full support 12 Notes' Notes' Before Edge 16, Microsoft Edge treats all unknown elements (such as custom elements) as the same element type.	Firefox Full support 3.5	IE Full support 9 Notes' Full support 9 Notes' Notes' Internet Explorer treats all unknown elements (such as custom elements) as the same element type.	Opera Full support 9.5	Safari Full support 3.1	WebView Android Full support 2	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 3.1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support: Full support
See implementation notes.': See implementation notes.