---
id: css-multiple-columns
title: "CSS Multiple Columns"
category: "Frontend"
status: "draft"
verification_status: "conceptual"
canonical_id: ""
aliases: ["multi-column layout", "column-count", "column-gap", "newspaper columns", "CSS columns", "multicol"]
duplicate_of: ""
source_trust_level: "B"
confidence_score: 0.88
created_at: 2026-06-23
updated_at: 2026-06-23
review_reason: ""
merge_history: []
tags: ["css", "web", "frontend", "w3schools", "multi-column", "layout"]
raw_sources: ["https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_multiple_columns.asp"]
applied_in: []
github_commit: ""
---

# [[CSS Multiple Columns]]

## 🎯 한 줄 통찰 (One-line insight)
The CSS Multi-column Layout Module lets you flow text into multiple columns — just like a newspaper — by setting how many columns (`column-count`) and the gap between them (`column-gap`). [S1]

## 🧠 핵심 개념 (Core concepts)
- **Purpose** — the CSS Multi-column Layout Module enables easy definition of multiple columns of text, just like in newspapers. [S1]
- **Column count** — `column-count` specifies the number of columns an element should be divided into. [S1]
- **Column gap** — `column-gap` specifies the gap between the columns. [S1]
- **Property family** — the module covers `column-count`, `column-gap`, `column-rule-style`, `column-rule-width`, `column-rule-color`, `column-rule`, `column-span`, and `column-width`. [S1]

## 🧩 추출된 패턴 (Extracted patterns)
- **Divide-by-count pattern** — apply `column-count: N;` to any block element to split its text content into N columns automatically. [S1]
- **Control whitespace separately** — `column-gap` adjusts the spacing between columns independently of the column count. [S1]

## 📖 세부 내용 (Details)
**CSS Multi-column Layout** [S1]
The CSS Multi-column Layout Module enables easy definition of multiple columns of text — just like in newspapers.

**CSS Multi-column Properties** [S1]
The page identifies these key properties: `column-count`, `column-gap`, `column-rule-style`, `column-rule-width`, `column-rule-color`, `column-rule`, `column-span`, and `column-width`.

**Creating Multiple Columns** [S1]
The `column-count` property specifies the number of columns an element should be divided into. The following example will divide the text in a `<div>` element into 3 columns:
```css
div {
  column-count: 3;
}
```

**Specify the Gap Between Columns** [S1]
The `column-gap` property specifies the gap between the columns. The following example specifies a 40px gap between the columns:
```css
div {
  column-gap: 40px;
}
```

**CSS Multi-columns Properties** [S1]

| Property | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `column-count` | Specifies the number of columns an element should be divided into |
| `column-fill` | Specifies how to fill columns |
| `column-gap` | Specifies the gap between the columns |
| `column-rule` | A shorthand property for setting all the column-rule-* properties |
| `column-rule-color` | Specifies the color of the rule between columns |
| `column-rule-style` | Specifies the style of the rule between columns |
| `column-rule-width` | Specifies the width of the rule between columns |
| `column-span` | Specifies how many columns an element should span across |
| `column-width` | Specifies a suggested, optimal width for the columns |
| `columns` | A shorthand property for setting column-width and column-count |

## 🛠️ 적용 사례 (Applied in summary)
The page's examples are the applied cases: a `<div>` split into 3 columns via `column-count`, and a 40px `column-gap` between columns. No external project/commit applications found in the source.

## 💻 코드 패턴 (Code patterns)
Divide into columns (language: CSS):
```css
div {
  column-count: 3;
}
```
Set the gap between columns (language: CSS):
```css
div {
  column-gap: 40px;
}
```

## ⚖️ 모순 및 업데이트 (Contradictions & updates)
No contradictions found in the source.

## ✅ 검증 상태 및 신뢰도
- **상태:** draft
- **검증 단계:** conceptual (실제 적용 사례 발견 시 applied/validated로 승격 가능)
- **출처 신뢰도:** B (W3Schools — widely used educational reference, not a primary standards body)
- **신뢰 점수:** 0.88
- **중복 검사 결과:** 신규 생성 (New discovery)

## 🔗 지식 그래프 (Knowledge Graph)
- **상위/루트:** [[CSS Tutorial]]
- **관련 개념:** [[CSS Multiple Column Rules]], [[CSS Grid]], [[CSS Flexbox]], [[CSS Text]]
- **참조 맥락:** Referenced when flowing long-form text into a newspaper-style multi-column layout.

## 📚 출처 (Sources)
- [S1] W3Schools — CSS Multiple Columns — https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_multiple_columns.asp

## 📝 변경 이력 (Change history)
- 2026-06-23: Initial draft synthesized from the W3Schools "CSS Multiple Columns" page (Astra wiki-curation, P-Reinforce v3.1 format).