CSS word-break vs word-wrap (Overflow Wrap) : What's the Difference ?

Last Updated : 07 Jun, 2025

In CSS, controlling how long words break at line endings is crucial for clean layouts and good readability. Two properties often confused are word-break and overflow-wrap also known as word-wrap. This guide compares how they handle text overflow and when to use each.

`word-break` Vs. `word-wrap`

Property	word-break	overflow-wrap (word-wrap)
Values	break-all	break-word
Description	Break words anywhere, even in the middle of characters, to prevent overflow.	Breaks long words only at natural points (like hyphens or spaces).
Use Case	Prevent layout overflow (e.g., narrow columns)	Responsive content without mid-word splits

Example 1: `word-break: break-all`

This example shows how the text breaks in the middle of a word when the container is too narrow.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>word-break: break-all Example</title>
  <style>
    .container {
      width: 142px;
      border: 1px solid #000;
      padding: 10px;
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      word-break: break-all;
    }
    h1 {
      color: green;
      font-size: 22px;
    }
    h2 {
      font-size: 18px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>

  <center>
    <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
    <h2>word-break: break-all</h2>

    <div class="container">
      GeeksforGeeks GeeksGeeks. A computer science portal for geeks.
    </div>
  </center>

</body>
</html>

The word-break: break-all property forces words to break at any character to avoid overflow. While it prevents layout issues, it can hurt readability by breaking words unnaturally.

Example 2: overflow-wrap: break-word (preferred over word-wrap)

This example breaks the word only at appropriate points, keeping it more readable.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>overflow-wrap: break-word Example</title>
  <style>
    .container {
      width: 140px;
      border: 1px solid #000;
      padding: 10px;
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      overflow-wrap: break-word; /* preferred over word-wrap */
      color: black;
    }
    h1 {
      color: green;
      font-size: 22px;
    }
    h2 {
      font-size: 18px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>

  <center>
    <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
    <h2>overflow-wrap: break-word</h2>

    <div class="container">
      GeeksforGeeks GeeksGeeks. A computer science portal for geeks.
    </div>
  </center>

</body>
</html>

overflow-wrap: break-word (modern replacement for word-wrap) allows long words to break only if necessary, and tries to do so without splitting words mid-letter, preserving clarity and user experience.

Example 3:

This example display the comparison of break-all and break-word property values.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Comparison: break-all vs break-word</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      background-color: #f9f9f9;
      padding: 20px;
      text-align: center;
    }

    h1 {
      color: #2e8b57;
    }

    .comparison-container {
      display: flex;
      justify-content: center;
      gap: 30px;
      margin-top: 30px;
      flex-wrap: wrap;
    }

    .box {
      width: 200px;
      padding: 15px;
      border: 2px solid #ccc;
      border-radius: 8px;
      background-color: #ffffff;
      box-shadow: 0 2px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
      text-align: left;
    }

    .label {
      font-weight: bold;
      margin-bottom: 8px;
      font-size: 16px;
    }

    .break-all {
      word-break: break-all;
      border-color: #e74c3c;
    }

    .break-word {
      overflow-wrap: break-word;
      border-color: #2ecc71;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>

  <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
  <h2>Comparison: <code>break-all</code> vs <code>break-word</code></h2>

  <div class="comparison-container">
    <div class="box break-all">
      <div class="label">word-break: break-all</div>
      GeeksforGeeks is a computer science portal for learners worldwide.
    </div>

    <div class="box break-word">
      <div class="label">overflow-wrap: break-word</div>
      GeeksforGeeks is a computer science portal for learners worldwide.
    </div>
  </div>

</body>
</html>

The break-all box shows words being broken abruptly, even mid-word, while the break-word box wraps more cleanly at word boundaries. This comparison visually demonstrates when and why to choose each property.

Conclusion

Choosing the right text-breaking property depends on your layout needs.

If space is tight and you're okay with breaking words abruptly, use break-all.
If you want to maintain readability and only break long words when needed, go with break-word.

For modern CSS, prefer overflow-wrap: break-word, which is the updated standard.