A CSS pseudo-class is a keyword added to a selector that specifies a special state of the selected element(s). For example, :hover can be used to change a button's color when the user's pointer hovers over it.
/* Any button over which the user's pointer is hovering */
button:hover {
color: blue;
}Pseudo-classes let you apply a style to an element not only in relation to the content of the document tree, but also in relation to external factors like the history of the navigator (:visited, for example), the status of its content (like :checked on certain form elements), or the position of the mouse (like :hover, which lets you know if the mouse is over an element or not).
Note: In contrast to pseudo-classes, pseudo-elements can be used to style a specific part of an element.
Syntax
selector:pseudo-class {
property: value;
}
Like regular classes, you can chain together as many pseudo-classes as you want in a selector.
Index
Pseudo-classes defined by a set of CSS specifications include the following:
A
B
:blank'
C
D
E
F
H
I
L
N
:not():nth-child():nth-col()':nth-last-child():nth-last-col()':nth-last-of-type():nth-of-type()
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
:where()'
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Fullscreen API | Living Standard | Defined :fullscreen.
|
| HTML Living Standard | Living Standard | Defines when particular selectors match HTML elements. |
| Selectors Level 4 | Working Draft | Defined :any-link, :blank, :local-link, :scope, :drop, :current, :past, :future, :placeholder-shown, :user-invalid, :nth-col(), :nth-last-col(), :is() and :where().
Changed |
| HTML5 | Recommendation | Copies the relevant section from the canonical (WHATWG) HTML spec. |
| CSS Basic User Interface Module Level 3 | Recommendation | Defined :default, :valid, :invalid, :in-range, :out-of-range, :required, :optional, :read-only and :read-write, but without the associated semantic meaning.
|
| Selectors Level 3 | Recommendation | Defined :target, :root, :nth-child(), :nth-last-of-child(), :nth-of-type(), :nth-last-of-type(), :last-child, :first-of-type, :last-of-type, :only-child, :only-of-type, :empty and :not().
Defined the syntax of |
| CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) | Recommendation | Defined :lang(), :first-child, :hover, and :focus.
No significant change for pseudo-classes defined in CSS Level 1. |
| CSS Level 1 | Recommendation | Defined :link, :visited and :active, but without the associated semantic meaning.
|
See also
Pseudo-classes by Mozilla Contributors is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.5.
