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css pseudo class

`:first-of-type` CSS pseudo-class

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The :first-of-type CSS pseudo-class represents the first element of its type (tag name) among a group of sibling elements.

Interactive exampleOpen the canonical MDN source to run this embedded demo.
dt {
  font-weight: bold;
}

dd {
  margin: 3px;
}

dd:first-of-type {
  border: 2px solid orange;
}

<dl>
  <dt>Vegetables:</dt>
  <dd>1. Tomatoes</dd>
  <dd>2. Cucumbers</dd>
  <dd>3. Mushrooms</dd>
  <dt>Fruits:</dt>
  <dd>4. Apples</dd>
  <dd>5. Mangos</dd>
  <dd>6. Pears</dd>
  <dd>7. Oranges</dd>
</dl>

Syntax

:first-of-type {
  /* ... */
}

Examples

Styling the first paragraph

HTML

<h2>Heading</h2>
<p>Paragraph 1</p>
<p>Paragraph 2</p>

CSS

p:first-of-type {
  color: red;
  font-style: italic;
}

Result

Interactive exampleOpen the canonical MDN source to run this embedded demo.

Nested elements

This example shows how nested elements can also be targeted. Note that the universal selector (*) is implied when no type selector is written.

HTML

<article>
  <div>This `div` is first!</div>
  <div>This <span>nested `span` is first</span>!</div>
  <div>
    This <em>nested `em` is first</em>, but this <em>nested `em` is last</em>!
  </div>
  <div>This <span>nested `span` gets styled</span>!</div>
  <p>This `p` qualifies!</p>
  <div>This is the final `div`.</div>
</article>

CSS

article :first-of-type {
  background-color: pink;
}

Result

Interactive exampleOpen the canonical MDN source to run this embedded demo.

Specifications

SpecificationsStandards references are available on the canonical MDN page.

Browser compatibility

Browser compatibilityCompatibility data is available on the canonical MDN page.

See also