CSS Lists

In HTML, there are two main types of lists:

unordered lists (<ul>) - the list items are marked with bullets
ordered lists (<ol>) - the list items are marked with numbers or letters

The CSS list properties allow you to:

Set different list item markers for ordered lists
Set different list item markers for unordered lists
Set an image as the list item marker
Add background colors to lists and list items

Example 1: List Item Markers

The list-style-type property specifies the type of list item marker.

Circle type
Tea
Coca Cola

Square type
Tea
Coca Cola

Upper-roman type
Tea
Coca Cola

Lower-alpha type
Tea
Coca Cola

Example 2: An Image as The List Item Marker

The list-style-image property specifies an image as the list item marker.

Coffee
Tea
Coca Cola

Example 3: Position The List Item Markers

The list-style-position property specifies the position of the list-item markers (bullet points).

"outside" (default): The bullet points are outside the list item. The start of each line of a list item aligns vertically.

"inside": The bullet points are inside the list item. As it is part of the list item, it will be part of the text and push the text at the start.

Example 4: Remove Default Settings

The list-style-type:none property can also be used to remove the markers/bullets. Note that the list also has default margin and padding. To remove this, add margin:0 and padding:0 to <ul> or <ol>.

Coffee
Tea
Coca Cola

Example 5: Styling List With Colors

We can also style lists with colors, to make them look a little more interesting.

Coffee
Tea
Coca Cola

Example

ul.a {
  list-style-type: circle;
}

ul.b {
  list-style-type: square;
}

ol.c {
  list-style-type: upper-roman;
}

ol.d {
  list-style-type: lower-alpha;
}