When using flexbox, is there a functional difference between
and

Question

I recognize that a

and a are displayed differently in a most contexts. They also imply two different structural purposes for an element. But from what I can tell, when using flexbox, elements are displayed the same way, whether they have a

or a tag.

Assuming that the these two elements have the same styling, are there any visual differences between between them or will they always act the same when using flex?

user_2149674 · Answer

I have found it is generally best to use block (e.g. div) or inline-block elements as children of flexbox instead of inline elements (e.g. span). You will probably not see a difference in most scenarios, but certain browsers (especially IE) have issue displaying inline elements correctly when they are flex items. See https://github.com/philipwalton/flexbugs#12-inline-elements-are-not-treated-as-flex-items and issues logged there.

When using flexbox, is there a functional difference between <div> and <span>

1 Answers