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name: naming-conventions description: "Use when reviewing stylesheets, component styles, and responsive behavior related to Use consistent CSS naming conventions. Check the rendered layout across breakpoints and interaction states before proposing a fix." metadata: category: css priority: medium difficulty: beginner estimatedTime: "15" source: frontendchecklist.io url: https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/css/naming-conventions

Use consistent CSS naming conventions

Without a naming convention, class names become a guessing game — does .active mean the nav item is active, the button is pressed, or a form field has focus? With BEM or a similar methodology, .button--active is unambiguous. This reduces the time spent searching for existing styles and prevents accidental style conflicts.

Quick Reference

• BEM (Block__Element--Modifier) is the most widely adopted naming convention
• Consistent naming lets you understand a class's purpose without reading its styles
• Namespace utility classes and JS hooks separately from component styles
• Use kebab-case for class names (not camelCase or snake_case)

Check

Audit the class names in this CSS file. Are they consistently named? Do they follow a clear convention? Are there any ambiguous names that could conflict?

Fix

Rename classes to follow BEM methodology: Block, Block__Element, Block--Modifier pattern.

Explain

Explain BEM naming convention, why naming conventions matter, and how to apply BEM to a real component.

Code Review

Review stylesheets, component styles, and responsive states related to Use consistent CSS naming conventions. Flag exact selectors, declarations, or breakpoints that violate the rule in the rendered UI.

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For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see references/rule.md.

Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/css/naming-conventions