text-underline-position

The text-underline-position CSS property specifies the position of the underline which is set using the text-decoration property's underline value.

/* Single keyword */
text-underline-position: auto;
text-underline-position: under;
text-underline-position: left;
text-underline-position: right;

/* Multiple keywords */
text-underline-position: under left;
text-underline-position: right under;

/* Global values */
text-underline-position: inherit;
text-underline-position: initial;
text-underline-position: unset;

Syntax

Values

auto

The user agent will use its own algorithm to place the line at or under the alphabetic baseline.

under

Forces the line to be set below the alphabetic baseline, at a position where it won't cross any descenders. This is useful for ensuring legibility with chemical and mathematical formulas, which make a large use of subscripts.

left

In vertical writing-modes, this keyword forces the line to be placed on the left side of the text. In horizontal writing-modes, it is a synonym of under.

right

In vertical writing-modes, this keyword forces the line to be placed on the right side of the text. In horizontal writing-modes, it is a synonym of under.

auto-pos

A synonym of auto, which should be used instead.

above

Forces the line to be above the text. When used with East-Asian text, using the auto keyword will lead to a similar effect.

below

Forces the line to be below the text. When used with alphabetic text, using the auto keyword will lead to a similar effect.

Formal syntax

auto | [ under || [ left | right ] ]

Examples

Because the text-underline-position property inherits and is not reset by the text-decoration shorthand property, it may be appropriate to set its value at a global level. For example, the under value may be appropriate for a document with lots of chemical and mathematical formulas, which make a large use of subscripts.

:root {
  text-underline-position: under;
}

Specifications

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

See also

• The text-decoration property is a shorthand for setting most text-decoration properties, including text-decoration-line, text-decoration-color, and text-decoration-style. However, it does not set text-underline-position.
• Microsoft non-standard values documentation