What is the difference between a paragraph style and a character style in Microsoft Word?

In Microsoft Word, the term "paragraph style" refers to the formatting style applied to a paragraph, while "character style" refers to the formatting style applied to individual characters within a paragraph. Here is an explanation of the difference between the two:

Paragraph style

A paragraph style in Word determines the formatting characteristics for an entire paragraph, such as alignment, indentation, line spacing, font and size, and any other specific formatting options. When you apply a paragraph style, all text and any associated formatting within that paragraph are changed accordingly.

Drawing style

A character style, on the other hand, applies to individual characters within a paragraph, such as font, size, bold, italic, underline, and color. You can use a character style to emphasize or format specific words, phrases, or letters within a paragraph without changing the formatting of the entire paragraph.

In short, paragraph style deals with the formatting of an entire paragraph, while character style applies specific formatting to individual characters within that paragraph. Both styles are useful tools for improving the formatting and readability of your documents in Word.

In the formatting panel of dStyle / LegalWord, you will find the styles defined by your organization that you need to format documents. For a paragraph style, the entire paragraph changes where you placed the cursor. For a character style, you must first select the desired text in its entirety before applying the character style to it.

If there are styles missing from the formatting panel that you like to use, please feel free to contact us.