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Start your free trialMatthew Francis
6,967 PointsShould you use <span> when you have a sentence?
Say you want it to be inline too!
or should you use <p> and then modify it with display: inline? Which is better practice or does it not matter?
3 Answers
Steven Parker
231,261 PointsThe "p" element is specifically for paragraphs, where "span" has no semantic meaning.
So to enclose something other than a paragraph for styling purposes, "span" would be a better choice, particularly if you wanted it to be inline mode.
Jacob Jackson
UX Design Techdegree Student 7,833 PointsHey Matthew!
Both Jamie and Steven gave great advice. I might also suggest that if you're ever stuck with a thought like this, remember there are very few cases when you should have to fight an element's default behaviour.
In this case for example, a <p> tag is a block level element (as you know), so, even though it might technically work, you shouldn't have to fight its default behaviour by changing it to an inline style. Using a <span> tag here in the way that Jamie and Steven described makes the most sense, and we know this because there's no modification required to the element :)
Great question! Just remember to keep it simple for yourself
-Jake
Jamie Campbell
Courses Plus Student 7,603 PointsIt depends on what you want it to look like. <span> is more for visual effects, for example a quote you want to stand out, while <p> display: inline is used specifically to format the text.