askvity

How Do I Increase the Size of a Heading in HTML?

Published in HTML Styling 3 mins read

To increase the size of a heading in HTML, use the CSS font-size property within a <style> attribute or a CSS stylesheet. Here's how you can do it:

Using Inline Styles (within the HTML tag)

This method involves adding a style attribute directly to the heading tag (e.g., <h1>, <h2>, etc.). It's generally best for quick, isolated changes.

<h1 style="font-size: 3em;">This is a larger heading</h1>
<h2 style="font-size: 2.5em;">This is a larger subheading</h2>
  • font-size: This CSS property controls the size of the text.
  • 3em, 2.5em: These are values specifying the size. em is a relative unit, where 1em is equal to the current font size of the parent element. You can also use other units like px (pixels), pt (points), or percentages.

Using Internal Styles (within the <head> of the HTML document)

This involves adding a <style> tag within the <head> section of your HTML document. This is better for applying styles to multiple headings within a single page.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Heading Styles</title>
<style>
h1 {
  font-size: 3em;
}
h2 {
  font-size: 2.5em;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>

<h1>This is a larger heading</h1>
<h2>This is a larger subheading</h2>

</body>
</html>
  • This allows you to define styles for all <h1> and <h2> elements on the page in one place.
  • It improves maintainability compared to inline styles.

Using External Stylesheets (recommended for larger projects)

This is the recommended approach for larger projects as it separates your styling from your HTML structure.

  1. Create a CSS file (e.g., styles.css):

    /* styles.css */
h1 {
  font-size: 3em;
}

h2 {
  font-size: 2.5em;
}

  2. Link the stylesheet in your HTML file:

    <!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Heading Styles</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>

<h1>This is a larger heading</h1>
<h2>This is a larger subheading</h2>

</body>
</html>
  • <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">: This line tells the browser to load the styles from the styles.css file.
  • This method provides the best separation of concerns and is ideal for larger websites or applications.

Choosing the Right Unit

Here's a brief overview of common units used with font-size:

Unit Description Example
px Pixels: An absolute unit; the size is fixed regardless of other elements. font-size: 36px;
em Relative to the font size of the parent element. font-size: 3em;
rem Relative to the font size of the root element (<html>). font-size: 2rem;
% Percentage: Relative to the font size of the parent element. font-size: 200%;
pt Points: Another absolute unit, often used for print. font-size: 24pt;

Using em or rem is generally preferred for responsive design, as they allow your font sizes to scale proportionally with the user's browser settings.

Related Articles