Ask any question about CSS here... and get an instant response.

How can I make a pure CSS tooltip appear on hover?

Asked on Sep 20, 2025

Answer

To create a tooltip using pure CSS, you can use the `:hover` pseudo-class to show additional content when hovering over an element. Here's a simple example of how you can achieve this.

<!-- BEGIN COPY / PASTE -->
    <style>
      .tooltip {
        position: relative;
        display: inline-block;
        cursor: pointer;
      }
      
      .tooltip .tooltip-text {
        visibility: hidden;
        width: 120px;
        background-color: black;
        color: #fff;
        text-align: center;
        border-radius: 5px;
        padding: 5px;
        position: absolute;
        z-index: 1;
        bottom: 125%; /* Position above the tooltip element */
        left: 50%;
        margin-left: -60px;
        opacity: 0;
        transition: opacity 0.3s;
      }
      
      .tooltip:hover .tooltip-text {
        visibility: visible;
        opacity: 1;
      }
    </style>

    <div class="tooltip">Hover over me
      <span class="tooltip-text">Tooltip text</span>
    </div>
    <!-- END COPY / PASTE -->

Additional Comment:

The `.tooltip` class is used to wrap the element that will trigger the tooltip.
The `.tooltip-text` class is initially hidden and becomes visible on hover.
Positioning is controlled using `position: absolute` and adjusted with `bottom` and `left` properties.
Transitions can be used to animate the appearance of the tooltip smoothly.

✅ Answered with CSS best practices.

Ask any question about CSS here... and get an instant response.

How can I make a pure CSS tooltip appear on hover?

Asked on Sep 20, 2025

Answer

The Q&A Network