Can you merge cells in a CSS table?

The short answer is: No, you cannot directly merge cells using only CSS. Cell merging is a structural feature of HTML tables, not a styling feature of CSS.

However, you can achieve the visual effect of merged cells by using HTML attributes and then styling the table with CSS.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Using HTML Attributes:

- To merge cells horizontally, use the colspan attribute within the <td> or <th> tag. This attribute specifies how many columns the cell should span.

- To merge cells vertically, use the rowspan attribute within the <td> or <th> tag. This attribute specifies how many rows the cell should span.

2. Example HTML Code:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th colspan="2">Merged Header</th>
      <th>Header 3</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td rowspan="2">Merged Cell</td>
      <td>Cell 2</td>
      <td>Cell 3</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Cell 4</td>
      <td>Cell 5</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

3. CSS Styling:

- After setting up the HTML structure with colspan and rowspan, you can use CSS to style the table, such as adding borders, padding, and adjusting the layout.

4. Important Note:

- Remember that colspan and rowspan attributes affect the structure of the table. You need to plan your table layout carefully to ensure the merged cells align correctly.

In summary, while CSS cannot directly merge cells, you can use HTML attributes like colspan and rowspan to achieve the desired effect, and then use CSS to style the table.

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