Why Does a Smaller `min-width` Override a Larger One in Media Queries?

Understanding Specificity, Media Queries, and min-width

In responsive web design, min-width is an essential tool for styling elements at specific screen sizes. However, cascading stylesheets (CSS) resolve conflicts through specificity, and this interplay with media queries can lead to unexpected results.

When you encountered the issue where a smaller min-width overrode a larger one, you may have wondered why. This behavior can be attributed to the order of precedence in the CSS cascade. Media queries, like min-width, are selectors and inherit their specificity from the styles they apply.

In this case, @media only screen and (min-width: 320px) is more specific than @media only screen and (min-width: 600px) because it has a more precise condition. Therefore, even though 600px meets the condition of both media queries, the 1.7em font-size set in the 320px wide media query takes precedence.

To resolve this issue, rearrange the media queries to ensure the correct order of precedence:

@media only screen and (min-width: 320px) {
    h2 { font: normal 1.7em/2.1em Helvetica, sans-serif; }
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 600px) {
    h2 { font-size: 2.2em; }
}

Now, when the screen size is 600px or greater, the 2.2em font size for h2 will take effect. You can continue to use min-width to overwrite declarations in higher resolutions without relying on stronger selectors or max-width by ensuring that the specificity of your styles matches the desired resolution.

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