::first-letterBaseline · Widely available
The ::first-letter CSS pseudo-element selects the first letter in an element for styling.
Supported in all major browsers for at least 30 months — safe to use without fallbacks. Baseline since Jul 29, 2015. Widely available since Jan 29, 2018.
Browser support
DesktopChrome
1+Supportedsince Dec 11, 2008
Current: 155Edge
12+Supportedsince Jul 29, 2015
Current: 154Firefox
1+Supportedsince Nov 9, 2004
Current: 157Safari
1+Supportedsince Jun 23, 2003
Current: 27MobileChrome Android
18+Supportedsince Jun 27, 2012
Current: 155Firefox Android
4+Supportedsince Mar 29, 2011
Current: 157Safari iOS
1+Supportedsince Jun 29, 2007
Current: 27How to use
This feature is Baseline widely available — use it freely, no fallback needed.
Example
Full syntax and examples are on MDN: ::first-letter.
Feature detection
CSS · check before using
@supports selector(::first-letter) {
/* styles that use ::first-letter */
}
/* or in JavaScript */
if (CSS.supports("selector(::first-letter)")) {
// use it
}Documentation (MDN)
Specification
Usage share
Sub-features
Support for each part of the feature (3). The overall table above shows when the whole feature works.
| Sub-feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Chrome Android | Firefox Android | Safari iOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first-letter | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 4 | 1 |
| first-letter.dutch_ij_digraph | ✕ | ✕ | 87 | 27 | ✕ | 87 | 27 |
| first-letter.svg_text_element | ✕ | ✕ | 124 | ✕ | ✕ | 124 | ✕ |