Margin and padding

padding creates inner space between content and border, and the background covers it. margin pushes neighboring boxes away outside the border, and the background does not cover it. Four-value shorthand follows top, right, bottom, left.

Read a rule first

A CSS declaration uses property: value;. The semicolon ends one declaration, and braces group declarations for the same selector. The browser reads rules from top to bottom. When several rules match one element, the cascade considers their source, selector specificity, and order.

<div class="card first">First card</div>
<div class="card">Second card</div>

.card { padding: 18px; border: 2px solid #0284c7; background: #e0f2fe; }
.first { margin-bottom: 24px; }

Change one value at a time and watch the text, color, size, or position. This connects each declaration to a visible result. Browser developer tools show the result of the same matching process.

A useful checking order

• Confirm that the selector matches the intended HTML element.
• Check the property name, colon, value, and semicolon.
• Test narrow space, longer text, and keyboard use.

A common source of confusion

CSS changes presentation and layout; it does not change the meaning of the HTML. Keep meaningful HTML elements and style them, rather than choosing the wrong element only for its default appearance. Readability comes before decoration.

<div class="card first">First card</div>
<div class="card">Second card</div>