CSS :nth-child() Selector

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Example

How to use the :nth-child() selector:

/* Selects the second element of div siblings */
div:nth-child(2) {
background: red;
}

/* Selects the second li element in a list */
li:nth-child(2) {
background: lightgreen;
}

/* Selects every third element among any group of siblings */
:nth-child(3) {
background: yellow;
}

Try it Yourself »

More "Try it Yourself" examples below.

Definition and Usage

The :nth-child(n) selector matches every element that is the nth child of its parent.

n can be a number, a keyword (odd or even), or a formula (like an + b).

Tip: Look at the :nth-of-type() selector to select the element that is the nth child, of the same type (tag name), of its parent.

Version:	CSS3

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specifies the first browser version that fully supports the selector.

Selector
:nth-child()	4.0	9.0	3.5	3.2	9.6

CSS Syntax

:nth-child(number) {
css declarations;
} Demo

More Examples

Example

Odd and even are keywords that can be used to match child elements whose index is odd or even (the index of the first child is 1).

Here, we specify two different background colors for odd and even p elements:

p:nth-child(odd) {
background: red;
}

p:nth-child(even) {
background: lightgreen;
}

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Example

Using a formula (an + b). Description: a represents a cycle size, n is a counter (starts at 0), and b is an offset value.

Here, we specify a background color for all p elements whose index is a multiple of 3 (will select the third, sixth, ninth, etc):

p:nth-child(3n+0) {
background: red;
}

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Example

Here, we specify a background color for all p elements whose index is a multiple of 3. Then we subtract 1 (will select the second, fifth, eight, etc):

p:nth-child(3n-1) {
background: red;
}

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