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Cover image for 7 Common CSS Mistakes Junior Frontend Developers Make (And How to Fix Them)
Ndeye Fatou Diop
Ndeye Fatou Diop

Posted on • Updated on • Originally published at frontendjoy.com

7 Common CSS Mistakes Junior Frontend Developers Make (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake #1: Overusing !important.

  • ❗️Problem: Makes style overrides a nightmare
  • 🛠️ Fix: Boost selector specificity or reorganize your code.

Mistake 1

Mistake #2: Overcomplicating selectors.

  • ❗️Problem: Complex selectors are hard to read and harder to override.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Opt for the lowest specificity that will solve your issue.

Mistake 2

Mistake #3: Having redundant declarations.

  • ❗️Problem: Re-declaring default values make your code cluttered.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Set property values only when they differ from the default ones.

Mistake 3

Mistake #4: Not using shorthand properties.

  • ❗️Problem: Makes your code unnecessarily cluttered.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Use CSS shorthand whenever applicable.

Mistake 4

Mistake #5: Setting unnecessarily high z-index.

  • ❗️Problem: z-index conflicts may arise, often requiring a higher one.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Leverage stacking contexts.

Mistake 5

Mistake #6: Using inconsistent values.

  • ❗️Problem: UI inconsistency.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Stick to consistent values for a polished look.

Mistake 6

Mistake #7: Using CSS features only supported by a few browsers.

  • ❗️Problem: Your code may not work correctly on some browsers.
  • 🛠️ Fix: Check first canIUse and provide fallbacks if necessary.

Mistake 7

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Top comments (1)

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Ndeye Fatou Diop

Thanks for suggesting this. I was hesitant to add it because it looked like a really new feature (I never used it myself since I really on scss modules) but thanks for suggesting it ❤️