---
title: "Day 14: the difference between :is() and :where()"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/day-14-the-difference-between-is-and-where--gjmqahwv4
source_url: https://www.matuzo.at/blog/2022/100daysof-day14
type: article
source: "Manuel Matuzović"
published: 2026-06-22T14:42:39.073Z
updated: 2026-06-22T14:45:18.575Z
tags: ["css"]
reading_time: 2
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# Day 14: the difference between :is() and :where()

**[Manuel Matuzović](https://daily.dev/sources/matuzo)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Explains the key difference between the CSS `:is()` and `:where()` pseudo-class functions: both match elements using selector lists, but they differ in specificity. `:where()` always has zero specificity, meaning its arguments never contribute to the selector's weight, while `:is()` takes on the specificity of its most specific argument. Concrete code examples illustrate how this affects which styles win when selectors conflict.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.matuzo.at/blog/2022/100daysof-day14>

---

Tags: [#css](https://daily.dev/tags/css)

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