What happens in CSS when multiple classes are applied to an element?

When multiple classes are applied to an element, CSS resolves the styles based on the order of the classes in the stylesheet and the specificity of the selectors. The browser progressively applies styles based on the cascade principle, meaning that if two classes define the same property, the property from the class that comes last in the CSS will take precedence, assuming there is no difference in specificity. This means that the sequence in which classes are listed can influence the final look of the element.

In practical use, if two or more classes define different styles for the same property, the class that is declared later in the stylesheet or in the inline styles will override the previous declarations, as long as they have equal specificity. This cascading behavior allows for more flexible and maintainable styling, where styles can be layered according to design requirements or overrides.

Understanding this cascade and specificity is crucial for predicting how an element will be styled when multiple classes are involved, and it empowers developers to create more complex layouts by efficiently managing styles across different classes.