description: Balanced headings and orphan-free text with text-wrap: balance and pretty

text-wrap: balance and pretty

When to Use

Use text-wrap: balance on headings (up to ~6 lines) for even line breaks. Use text-wrap: pretty on body copy to prevent orphaned last words. Never use balance on long paragraphs.

Decision

If you need...	Use...	Notes
Balanced heading that breaks evenly across lines	`text-wrap: balance`	Browser balances line lengths; max ~6 lines
Body text without orphaned last word	`text-wrap: pretty`	Adjusts last few lines to prevent short last line
Long body copy performance	Avoid `balance`	`balance` is expensive on long blocks; use `pretty` instead
Safari support for last-line orphan control	`text-wrap: balance`	`pretty` not yet in Safari as of early 2026

Pattern

/* Headings — balanced line breaks */
h1, h2, h3, h4 {
  text-wrap: balance;
}

/* Body copy — prevent orphaned last word */
p, blockquote, li {
  text-wrap: pretty;
}

balance behavior: The browser rebalances all lines so they are approximately equal width. Best for headings of up to ~6 lines. On longer text blocks, the rebalancing becomes visible as content shifts during load and the performance cost rises.

pretty behavior: Only adjusts the last few lines (typically the last 4 in Chrome's implementation) to prevent a short word from sitting alone on the final line. No visible rebalancing — safe for body copy.

Browser support: - text-wrap: balance — Chrome 114, Firefox 121, Safari 17.5. Safe to use. - text-wrap: pretty — Chrome 117, Firefox 134, Safari not yet (expected in Safari 26+). Use as progressive enhancement.

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Applying text-wrap: balance to long paragraphs → Right: Performance cost is real; the browser recalculates the entire block on resize; limit to headings and short display text
Wrong: Expecting pretty to affect the whole paragraph → Right: It intentionally adjusts only the last few lines; it does not rebalance the entire text block
Wrong: Using text-wrap: balance to prevent orphans in body copy → Right: balance rebalances lines equally which may or may not prevent a short last word; pretty is the right tool for orphan control