Which tag captures only the space around the text in HTML ?

Last Updated : 16 Jun, 2023

In this article, we will discuss the tags that capture only the space around the text in HTML. in this article, we will see different methods for creating space around the text in HTML.

Method 1: Using the special characters designated for different spaces.

The character entity “&nbsp” is used to denote a non-breaking space which is a fixed space. This may be perceived as twice the space of a normal space. It is used to create a space in a line that cannot be broken by word wrap.
The character entity “&ensp” is used to denote an ‘en’ space which means half point size of the current font. This may be perceived as twice the space of a normal space.
The character entity “&emsp” is used to denote an ’em’ space which means equal to the point size of the current font. This may be perceived as four times the space of a normal space.

Syntax:

Regular space: &nbsp;
Two spaces gap: &ensp;
Four spaces gap: &emsp;

Example: In this example, we will use special characters designated for different spaces.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
 
<body>
    <h1 style="color: green">GeeksforGeeks</h1>
    <b>How to insert spaces/tabs in 
       text using HTML/CSS?
    </b>
    <p>This is a   regular space.</p>
    <p>This is a   two spaces gap.</p>
    <p>This is a   four spaces gap.</p>
</body>
 
</html>

Output:

Method 2: Using the tab-size property to set spacing for tab characters

The tab-size CSS property is set the number of spaces each tab character will display. Changing this value allows inserting the needed amount of space on one tab character. This method however only works with pre-formatted text (using <pre> tags).

Note: The tab character can be inserted by holding the Alt and pressing 0 and 9 together.

Syntax:

.tab {
    tab-size: 2;
}

Example: In this example, we will create space using the tab-size property.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
 
<head>
    <style>
        .tab1 {
            tab-size: 2;
        }
 
        .tab2 {
            tab-size: 4;
        }
 
        .tab4 {
            tab-size: 8;
        }
    </style>
</head>
 
<body>
    <h1 style="color: green">
        GeeksforGeeks
    </h1>
    <b>How to insert spaces/tabs in
        text using HTML/CSS?
    </b>
    <pre class="tab1">
        This is a tab with 2 spaces.
    </pre>
    <pre class="tab2">
        This is a tab with 4 spaces.
    </pre>
    <pre class="tab4">
        This is a tab with 8 spaces.
    </pre>
</body>
 
</html>

Output:

Method 3: Creating a new class for spacing using CSS

A new class can be created which gives a certain amount of spacing by using the margin-left property. The amount of space could be given by the number of pixels specified in this property.

The display property is also set to ‘inline-block’ so that no line-break is added after the element. This allows the space to sit next to text and other elements.

Syntax:

.tab {
   display: inline-block;
   margin-left: 40px;
}

Example: In this example, we will create a new class for spacing using CSS.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
 
<head>
    <style>
        .tab {
            display: inline-block;
            margin-left: 40px;
        }
    </style>
</head>
 
<body>
    <h1 style="color: green">
        GeeksforGeeks
    </h1>
    <b>How to insert spaces/tabs in
        text using HTML/CSS?
    </b>
    <p>This is a<span class="tab">
        </span>tab space in the document.
    </p>
</body>
</html>