HTML Guides for css-wide keywords
Learn how to identify and fix common HTML validation errors flagged by the W3C Validator — so your pages are standards-compliant and render correctly across every browser. Also check our Accessibility Guides.
The transition shorthand contains a token it doesn't accept, often a CSS-wide keyword like initial written next to other values.
transition takes one or more transitions separated by commas. Each one can list a property name (or all), a duration, a timing function such as ease or linear, and a delay. The validator quotes the token that doesn't fit. Browsers drop an invalid declaration entirely, so the element gets no transition from that rule.
CSS-wide keywords such as initial, inherit and unset are only valid as the whole value. transition: initial passes, but transition: all initial and transition: opacity 0.3s, initial don't. To turn transitions off, write transition: none. To animate, replace the keyword with a duration and, if you want one, a timing function.
The same message shows up for a misspelled or invented timing function like ease-in-out-slow, and for a duration or delay written without a unit. A bare 0 isn't a valid time, so write 0s.
Invalid example
<div style="transition: all initial;">Card</div>
Valid example
<div style="transition: all 0.3s ease;">Animated card</div>
<div style="transition: none;">Static card</div>
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