fontvariantcaps

Font-variant-caps is a CSS property that selects a capitalization variant for glyphs in a font. It enables fonts that provide alternative capitalization glyphs to render text in different forms when available. The property works with the font-family specified for the element and depends on the font offering the requested variants.

Common values are normal, small-caps, and all-small-caps. When small-caps is used, lowercase letters are typically replaced by slightly smaller capital letters, while uppercase letters remain full size. All-small-caps renders all letters as small capitals, which changes the overall appearance and spacing. Some fonts also offer other variants such as petite-caps, all-petite-caps, unicase, and titling-caps; the exact effect depends on the font and the browser’s support for those glyphs.

Usage is simple: apply the property to an element, for example font-variant-caps: small-caps;. The result will display only if the font provides the corresponding glyphs; otherwise the browser may fall back to standard capitalization. Because support for nonstandard variants depends on the font, results can vary between fonts and environments.

Practical considerations include choosing a font with compatible glyphs for the desired variant, testing across devices and browsers, and considering readability and typographic goals. Font-variant-caps is commonly used for headings, titles, and stylistic text where a more formal or compact capitalization is desired. See also related CSS typography properties and the CSS Fonts module.