How to use the Paragraph Block in WordPress

1. Introduction to the Paragraph Block

• Purpose: The Paragraph block is the most basic content block in WordPress, used for adding and formatting text. The basis of all written communication is the paragraph. We’ll show you all the in’s and outs of using this block.
  
• Where to Find It:
  
  • In the block inserter (+ icon) search for “Paragraph”.
    
  • Often appears as the default block when you start typing in a blank post/page.
    

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2. Adding a Paragraph Block

• Method 1: Click the + icon → select “Paragraph”.
  
• Method 2: Press Enter/Return after another block to automatically insert a Paragraph block.
  

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3. Basic Text Entry

• Click inside the block and start typing.
  
• Paragraph blocks automatically adjust height based on content.
  

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4. Toolbar Options (Inline Controls)

When you click on the Paragraph block, a floating toolbar appears. This is known as inline controls. These controls allow you to update the paragraph content easily.

Options include:

1. Text Alignment – Left, Center, Right.
   
   

2. Bold / Italic / Strikethrough
   • The down caret in the inline menu has the following options:
     • Footnote
     • Highlight
     • Inline Code
     • Inline Image
     • Keyboard Input
     • Language switcher
     • Strikethrough
     • Subscript
     • Superscript
       
       

3. Linking Text
   
   • Add/edit/remove hyperlink. By highlighting some text, the inline menu shows up. Clicking the link icon will allow you to add a hyperlink. If you are linking to an internal page on your own website, you can see a list of options once you start typing. If you have an external link, just type or paste it into the box and click the curved arrow at the end.
     

4. Highlight/Background Color (in some themes). You can make a background or highlight color in your paragraph similar to the following:
   • This is text with a background color
     
5. More rich text controls (keyboard shortcuts available).
   

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5. Paragraph Block Settings (Sidebar)

With the Paragraph block selected, the Settings Sidebar (right panel) offers more customization.

A. Text Settings

• Font Size:
  
  • Presets (Small, Normal, Medium, Large, Huge).
    
  • Custom pixel value.
    

• Appearance (theme-dependent) – Your theme sets the defaults for things such as text size, font, and font weight.
  
  • Regular, Bold, Italic variations.
    
• Drop Cap toggle – Enlarges the first letter of the paragraph.
  

B. Color Settings

• Text Color:
  
  • Choose from theme palette or custom color.
    
• Background Color:
  
  • Adds a background behind the paragraph.
    
• Link Color (if theme supports it).
  

C. Paragraph Block Typography

Clicking on the Typography area in the sidebar allows you to change the following settings in your paragraph.

• Letter Case (uppercase, lowercase, capitalize – if supported).
  
• Letter Spacing.
  
• Line Height.
  
• Font Family (theme-dependent).

D. Advanced Settings

• HTML Anchor – Create a unique ID for linking directly to the paragraph. This is used to create “jump links” that allow someone to jump directly to this paragraph on the page.
  
• Additional CSS Class(es) – For custom styling.
  

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6. Transforming the Paragraph Block

Sometimes you start typing a paragraph, and realize that’s not what you want. The block editor allows you to quickly change to possible alternatives.

• Convert to other blocks like Heading, List, Quote, Code, or Preformatted.
  
• Useful if you start with a paragraph and later need structured content.
  

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7. Reusing the Blocks

Sometimes you’ll create a paragraph block that you’ll want to reuse over and over again. You can do the following with a paragraph block:

• Group Blocks for combined styling.
  
• Convert it to a Reusable Block if you want the same paragraph to appear on multiple pages/posts.
  

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8. Keyboard Shortcuts for Paragraph Editing

You can use various shortcuts to modify your paragraph as you’re typing.

• Shift + Enter: Add a line break without creating a new paragraph.
  
• Ctrl/Cmd + B: Bold text.
  
• Ctrl/Cmd + I: Italic text.
  
• /paragraph: Insert Paragraph block quickly.
  

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9. Tips for Best Use

• Use Drop Caps for emphasis in introductions.
  
• Limit excessive inline formatting for cleaner design.
  
• Combine with Columns block for side-by-side text.
  
• Match color contrast to accessibility guidelines.
  

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10. Common Troubleshooting

• Paragraph formatting not applying:
  
  • Check if you’re inside a Group or Columns block.
    
• Unexpected spacing:
  
  • Check theme CSS or block spacing settings.

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