CSS Academy · Lesson

Gap and Grid Placement

Add space between grid cells with gap and place items using grid-column and grid-row.

Lesson 3 of 413 steps

Gap and Grid Placement is a free CSS Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 3 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the CSS Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The CSS Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

Gap in CSS Grid

The gap property sets the space between grid rows and columns. It replaces the older grid-gap property and also works in Flexbox.

<div class="grid">
  <div style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">1</div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">2</div>
  <div style="background:#7ee78722;border:1px solid #7ee787;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">3</div>
  <div style="background:#ff6b6b22;border:1px solid #ff6b6b;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">4</div>
  <div style="background:#b57bff22;border:1px solid #b57bff;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">5</div>
  <div style="background:#3fd0c922;border:1px solid #3fd0c9;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">6</div>
</div>

row-gap and column-gap

Set row and column gaps independently:

<div class="grid" style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3, 1fr);">
  <div style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">1</div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">2</div>
  <div style="background:#7ee78722;border:1px solid #7ee787;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">3</div>
  <div style="background:#ff6b6b22;border:1px solid #ff6b6b;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">4</div>
  <div style="background:#b57bff22;border:1px solid #b57bff;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">5</div>
  <div style="background:#3fd0c922;border:1px solid #3fd0c9;padding:12px;border-radius:4px;">6</div>
</div>

Grid Line Numbers

CSS Grid numbers its lines starting at 1. A 3-column grid has column lines 1, 2, 3, 4. Negative numbers count from the end: -1 is the last line, -2 is second to last.

grid-column and grid-row

Place items manually using line numbers with grid-column and grid-row:

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3, 1fr);grid-auto-rows:60px;gap:8px;">
  <div class="header" style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:8px;">Header (spans all 3 columns, row 1)</div>
  <div class="main" style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;padding:8px;">Main (spans 2 columns, row 2)</div>
</div>

Span Keyword

Use span to express how many tracks an item should cover instead of absolute line numbers:

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(4, 60px);grid-auto-rows:60px;gap:8px;">
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
  <div class="featured" style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:4px;">Featured (span 2x2)</div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
</div>

Negative Line Numbers

Negative indices count from the end. 1 / -1 always spans the full grid width regardless of column count:

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3, 1fr);gap:8px;">
  <div class="full-width" style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:8px;">Full width (grid-column: 1 / -1)</div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;padding:8px;">Item</div>
  <div style="background:#7ee78722;border:1px solid #34c759;padding:8px;">Item</div>
</div>

grid-area Shorthand

grid-area sets all four grid placement values in one property: row-start / column-start / row-end / column-end.

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3, 1fr);grid-auto-rows:60px;gap:0;">
  <div class="hero" style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:8px;">Hero (row 1 start, col 1 start, row 2 end, last column)</div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
  <div style="background:#ffb84d22;border:1px solid #ffb84d;"></div>
</div>

Auto Placement

Items not explicitly placed are auto-placed in the next available cell following the grid-auto-flow algorithm. The browser fills cells left to right, top to bottom by default.

justify-items and align-items on Grid

On a grid container, justify-items aligns cell content horizontally; align-items aligns vertically. Both default to stretch.

<div class="grid" style="min-height:120px;">
  <div style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:8px;width:fit-content;">centered, top-aligned item</div>
</div>

justify-self and align-self

Individual grid items can override the container's alignment using justify-self and align-self:

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr;min-height:120px;">
  <div class="featured-card" style="background:#4f8cff22;border:1px solid #4f8cff;padding:8px;">Stretched horizontally, centered vertically</div>
</div>

Overlapping Grid Items

Multiple items can occupy the same grid cell. Use z-index to control which appears on top. This enables layered designs like image + overlay text.

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2, 1fr);grid-template-rows:repeat(2, 60px);">
  <div class="image" style="background:#4f8cff44;border:1px solid #4f8cff;">Image layer</div>
  <div class="caption" style="background:rgba(0,0,0,0.6);color:#fff;align-self:end;padding:4px 8px;">Caption overlay</div>
</div>

Quick Check

An item has grid-column: 2 / span 3. Which columns does it occupy in a 5-column grid?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

gap adds gutters between grid cells. Items are placed using line numbers with grid-column and grid-row. The span keyword specifies how many tracks to cover. Use 1 / -1 to always span all columns. Grid items can overlap using z-index.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “Gap and Grid Placement” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Gap and Grid Placement” is free to read here on the web. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the CSS Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO. The CSS Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “Gap and Grid Placement”?

Add space between grid cells with gap and place items using grid-column and grid-row. You practise CSS Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start CSS Academy?

No prior experience is required. CSS Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 3 of 4.

How long does the “Gap and Grid Placement” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this CSS Academy lesson?

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