Describe the `vertical-align` property and its typical use cases
Jul 26, 2025 am 07:35 AMThe vertical-align property in CSS aligns inline or table-cell elements vertically. 1. It adjusts elements like images or form inputs within text lines using values like baseline, middle, super, and sub. 2. In table cells, it controls content alignment with top, middle, or bottom values, often used in simulated table layouts. 3. With form elements, applying vertical-align: middle helps align checkboxes or buttons with labels for consistent appearance across browsers.
The vertical-align
property in CSS controls how elements are aligned vertically relative to each other. It’s commonly used to adjust the position of inline or table-cell elements, like images inside text or cells within a table. While it seems simple, it often confuses developers because it doesn’t behave like a vertical counterpart to text-align
.

How vertical-align
works with inline elements
One of the most common uses of vertical-align
is aligning inline elements such as images, icons, or form inputs within a line of text.
- The default value is
baseline
, which aligns the bottom of the element with the baseline of the parent text. - If you want an image to sit higher within a line (like a superscript), you can use
vertical-align: super
. - Conversely, for subscript-style alignment,
vertical-align: sub
works well.
For example:

<p>This is some text with an <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="icon.png" class="lazy" style="max-width:90%" alt="Describe the `vertical-align` property and its typical use cases" > inline image.</p>
Using vertical-align: middle
in this case helps center the image vertically with the surrounding text.
Keep in mind: vertical-align
only affects inline and table-cell elements — it won’t do anything on block-level elements like <div>
by default.

Aligning content inside table cells
When working with table layouts (or elements styled as table cells), vertical-align
becomes especially useful for controlling how content is positioned within the cell.
- By default, content in a table cell is aligned to the top (
vertical-align: top
). - If you want text or elements centered vertically inside the cell, use
vertical-align: middle
. - For bottom alignment,
vertical-align: bottom
is your go-to.
This also applies when you're using CSS to simulate table layouts with display: table
and display: table-cell
.
Example:
<div style="max-width:90%"> <div style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;"> Vertically centered content </div> </div>
This technique is often used in older layouts or when building responsive components where vertical centering is needed without flexbox or grid.
Using vertical-align
with form elements
Form controls like <input>
, <select>
, and <button>
can sometimes look misaligned when placed next to labels or other inline content.
- Adding
vertical-align: middle
to these elements can help align them better with surrounding text or icons. - You might still need to tweak line heights or padding depending on the browser default styles.
For example:
<label> <input type="checkbox" style="vertical-align: middle;"> Check me </label>
This helps ensure that the checkbox sits nicely in line with the label text instead of looking too high or low.
Summary
The vertical-align
property is useful but often misunderstood. It works best for inline elements and table cells, making it ideal for aligning text with images, centering content in table cells, or fine-tuning form elements.
It’s not a universal vertical centering tool — for full vertical centering of block-level containers, you’ll want to use flexbox or grid instead.
But for those small inline adjustments, vertical-align
is the right tool for the job.
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