How to Change Line Spacing in WordPress?

Let’s say a page or post on your WordPress website is more written content-focused. Then the overall design and layout go much beyond the fonts and sizes. If the content is too crowded, a reader will feel more overwhelmed, making it harder to focus on and absorb the info. That’s where line spacing comes in.

Proper line spacing improves readability, making your content more inviting and easier to digest. This encourages visitors to stay longer, explore more pages, and ultimately, helps increase the likelihood of conversions.

Although you won’t really need help from professional WordPress developers for this functionality, let’s see how they proceed.

Why Change Line Spacing in WordPress?

Though line spacing seems like a small detail, it can significantly impact how your target audience views your WordPress website. Here are a few reasons to take your time and adjust the line spacing perfectly.

• Ease on the eyes: Proper line spacing reduces strain on the reader’s eyes, making it easier to follow the text and absorb information. No one wants to squint their way through a blog post.
• Improved comprehension: Adequate spacing between lines allows the reader to visually separate thoughts and ideas, leading to better comprehension and a more enjoyable reading experience.
• Visual appeal: Line spacing contributes to the overall aesthetic of your website. It can make your content look more polished, professional, and visually appealing.   
• Branding and tone: Different line spacing can evoke different feelings. More spacing can create a sense of elegance and sophistication, while tighter spacing might feel more modern and minimalist. Choose what aligns with your brand.
• Content hierarchy: Line spacing helps establish visual hierarchy, making it easier for readers to scan and identify key information like headings, subheadings, and important points.
• Mobile responsiveness: Adjusting line spacing can improve the readability of your content on different screen sizes, ensuring a positive experience for mobile users.

Moreover, when it comes to website accessibility, proper line spacing can make a huge difference, especially for individuals with visual impairments (and even dyslexia). That means a positive experience for all users.

So follow along and see how you can easily change the line spacing on your WordPress website.

How to Change Line Spacing in WordPress?

Like so many other little features, changing the line spacing is quite easy with WordPress. And in the usual WordPress way, you get a bunch of options to take care of it. Let’s discuss each method.

Through the Gutenberg Editor

WordPress Gutenberg block editor offers some basic line-height controls within its paragraph settings. Plus, of course, there’s a coding option if you want more control. But let’s look at the easier option first.

Through Paragraph settings

Step 1: Within the WordPress page or post, select the paragraph you want to adjust.

Step 2: In the block settings sidebar (usually on the right), look for “Typography” or “Text settings”.

Step 3: Click on the ‘three-dot menu’ near Typography and look for the “Line height” option.

Step 4: Now, you can tweak the line spacing in the paragraph easily.

Through Custom HTML

For a more precise control, there’s the custom HTML option. Here’s how that process goes.

Step 1: Select the paragraph block and click on the “p” icon, switch to “Code”.

Step 2: Now, click on the code icon and select “Custom HTML”. That will turn your normal paragraph into HTML text.

Step 3: Next, you will add the following code excerpt with your content.

<p style="line-height: 1.8em;">Your text here.</p>

CSS line-height property controls the space between lines of text. You can set it to:

• A number: This is a multiplier of the font size (e.g., 1.5 for 1.5 times the font size).
• A length value: Like 20px for 20 pixels of line height.
• A percentage: Like 150% for 150% of the font size.
• A keyword: Like normal (which is usually around 1.2).

Changes you make directly in the block settings usually only affect that specific paragraph. Using the “Custom HTML” block with inline CSS gives you more flexibility to style multiple paragraphs or elements.

Through the Classic Editor

While Gutenberg is now the default editor in WordPress, many people still use the Classic Editor. If that’s you, here’s how the line spacing adjustments go. Again, there are two approaches.

First, you can use the “Format” dropdown. Take a look at how.

Step 1: Select the paragraph or text where you want to change the line spacing.

Step 2: In the Classic Editor toolbar, you’ll find a dropdown menu labeled “Format.” Click on it to reveal various formatting options.

You will see a “Line Height” option directly in this dropdown (it depends on the chosen theme).

Step 3: Click on the line height option (if available) and select a preset value from the list (e.g., 1.0, 1.5, 2.0).

This will instantly apply the chosen line spacing to your selected text. But what if you want more control?

Second, you can use the “Text” editor. Classic Editor offers both Visual and Text editing and they are switchable.

Step 1: In the top right corner of the Classic Editor, click on the “Text” tab and switch to the HTML view of your content.

Step 2: Similar to the “Custom HTML” block in Gutenberg, you can add inline CSS to your paragraph tags to control line height.

Here’s how you would do it.

<p style="line-height: 1.7;">This paragraph has a line height of 1.7.</p>

Remember that the line-height property works the same way in the Classic Editor as it does in Gutenberg. You can use numbers, length values, percentages, or keywords to define the spacing.

Through Theme Customizer

WordPress offers the Theme Customizer to let you make changes to your website’s appearance without touching any code. But the specific customizations possible through it will depend on your selected theme.

Step 1: Go to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Customize. This will open the Theme Customizer interface.

Step 2: Within the Customizer, look for sections related to “Typography,” “Content,” or “Global.”  The exact location and naming will vary depending on your theme.

Step 3: Find the line height controls within these sections, with one of the following.

• A slider: Allowing you to visually adjust the spacing.
• A numerical input field: Where you can enter a specific value (e.g., 1.5).
• Preset options: Providing a few predefined line height choices.

Step 4: Once you’ve made your adjustments, click the “Publish” button to save your changes.

The Customizer usually provides a live preview, so you can see how the line spacing affects your content in real-time.

In the Theme Customizer, you can also try and find a section called “Additional CSS”. This is where you can add custom CSS code to modify your website’s styling.

To change the line spacing of all paragraphs on your site, add the following CSS code snippet.

p {
  line-height: 1.6; /* Adjust the value as needed */
}

But if you want to target a particular area of the page, use:

.content-area p {
  line-height: 1.8;
}

You can use different units (like px, em, percentage, etc.) and apply line spacing to headings, lists, and other elements. Furthermore, you can create responsive line spacing adapting to different screen sizes.

Through WordPress Plugins

As with any other functionality, WordPress plugins come in handy for line spacing as well. To that end, one of the best options available is Spacer. You can follow the due process and install the plugins on your WordPress website.

After activation, you’ll find a dedicated “Spacer” block in the Gutenberg editor or a shortcode you can use in both Gutenberg and the Classic Editor. Use the provided controls to adjust the size of the space. You might have options to set the height, width, or both.

Preview your content to see how the spacing looks. Once you’re satisfied, publish or update your page or post.

The Spacer plugin simplifies the process of adding and managing spacing, making it accessible to users with limited CSS knowledge.If you need help with changing the line spacing or make any other design changes on your site, get in touch with our professional WordPress developers.

FAQs on Changing the Line Spacing in WordPress

Let’s Summarize

Whether you prefer the quick adjustments of the Gutenberg editor or the Classic Editor, or you want theme customizations or just add a plugin, you can change the line spacings quite easily. It’s a great way to fine-tune your content’s readability and visual appeal.

But remember that finding the perfect line spacing is a balance between aesthetics and functionality. Consider your website’s design, your target audience, and the type of content you publish. If you need, try A/B testing the line spacing and other similar factors to understand the best configurations.

If you need help with line spacing and other design changes, consult with our WordPress professionals today!