leftjustified

Leftjustified refers to a text alignment where each line begins at the left margin, while the right edge ends at varying positions, creating a ragged right edge. It is also commonly called left-aligned. This contrasts with fully justified text, in which both left and right margins are aligned.

In typography and digital typesetting, left justification relies on natural word spacing and occasional hyphenation to manage line breaks. It preserves familiar word shapes and tends to support comfortable reading by avoiding large gaps that can occur with full justification on narrow lines. Left-justified text is widely used for body copy in books, newspapers, websites, and user interfaces.

Usage and conventions vary by language and medium. In languages written left to right, left justification is the default and most common alignment. For right-to-left scripts, alignment choices may differ, and content generally respects the writing direction. In web design and word processing, left alignment is commonly implemented via styling or formatting options such as text-align: left.

Advantages of left-justified text include its simplicity, predictable starting points for each line, and good performance with variable line lengths. It often looks cleaner on screens and printed pages when precise spacing is difficult to achieve. Potential drawbacks include a ragged right edge, which some readers find less smooth for long passages, and fewer opportunities to create evenly spaced typography in fully justified layouts.

Overall, leftjustified text remains a standard and versatile option in both traditional publishing and modern digital media, valued for readability, flexibility, and wide compatibility.