{"id":11285261,"date":"2019-03-07T14:13:50","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T14:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/support\/?post_type=helphub_article&#038;p=11285261"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:06:31","slug":"verse-block","status":"publish","type":"helphub_article","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/verse-block\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry block"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/support\/article\/blocks\/\">Go to the List of Blocks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block is specifically designed for writing poetry, song lyrics, or other literary expressions. Unlike the Paragraph block, the Poetry block preserves all spaces and line breaks exactly as you enter them. This makes it ideal for content where formatting, such as indentation or line breaks, is critical to the meaning or presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size\">Common uses for the Poetry block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Poems:<\/strong>&nbsp;Maintain the structure of stanzas and verses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Song Lyrics:<\/strong>&nbsp;Preserve the formatting of choruses and verses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Literary Excerpts:<\/strong>&nbsp;Keep the original spacing and line breaks intact<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\">In version 7.0, the Verse block was renamed to Poetry block<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Add a Poetry block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To add a Poetry block, click on the \u201cBlock Inserter\u201d (+)&nbsp; and select the Poetry block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also type <code>\/poetry<\/code> and hit enter in a new paragraph block to add one quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"614\" height=\"248\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-add.png\" alt=\"Adding a Poetry block with a slash command\" class=\"wp-image-16367963\" style=\"width:351px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-add.png 614w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-add-300x121.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/adding-a-new-block\/\">Detailed instructions on adding blocks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">x<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"866\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1526 \/ 866;\" width=\"1526\" controls poster=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-10.17.39-AM.png\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-video.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-toolbar\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Block toolbar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every block comes with unique toolbar icons and block-specific user controls that allow you to manipulate the block right in the editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block shows nine buttons in the block toolbar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Transform to<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drag icon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move arrows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change text alignment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bold<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Italic<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hyperlink<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More Rich Text options<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"124\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.03.15-PM-1.png\" alt=\"Verse block toolbar\" class=\"wp-image-16366862\" style=\"width:473px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.03.15-PM-1.png 786w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.03.15-PM-300x47.png 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.03.15-PM-767x121.png 767w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\">The layout of the&nbsp;Poetry block&nbsp;on your site may vary according to the styles set by the theme you are using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transform to<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"712\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.05.04-PM-1.png\" alt=\"Verse block tranforms\" class=\"wp-image-16366864\" style=\"width:453px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.05.04-PM-1.png 786w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.05.04-PM-300x272.png 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.05.04-PM-767x695.png 767w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Click on the \u201cTransform\u201d button to convert the Poetry block into a Paragraph, Group, Details, Preformatted or Columns block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Block-moving tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To drag and drop the block to a new location on the page template, click and hold the rectangle of dots, then drag to the new location. The blue separator line indicates where the block will be placed. Release the left mouse button when you find the new location to place the block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Move arrows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"760\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/move-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-1.png\" alt=\"Verse block move tools\" class=\"wp-image-16366867\" style=\"width:401px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/move-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-1.png 760w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/move-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-300x47.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the block-moving tools to move the Poetry block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drag or six dots icon allows you to freely reposition the block anywhere within the editor by holding the icon and dragging it to the new location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also use the arrow icons to move the block up or down within the group of nested blocks or when there are multiple blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/moving-blocks\/\" target=\"_blank\">Get more information about moving a block within the editor.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change text alignment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-align.png\" alt=\"Block toolbar to change text alignment\" class=\"wp-image-16367966\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7907106883044208;width:402px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-align.png 770w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-align-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-align-768x429.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Align text left<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Make the block left-aligned.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Align text center<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Make the block alignment centered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Align text right&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 Make the block right aligned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bold and Italics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"760\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/bold-italic-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-1.png\" alt=\"Verse block bold and italic settings\" class=\"wp-image-16366869\" style=\"aspect-ratio:6.333788795627562;width:419px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/bold-italic-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-1.png 760w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/bold-italic-Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-3.10.19-PM-300x47.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can select the text of the block and use the \u201cBold\u201d option or \u201cCtrl+B\u201d \/ \u201cCmd+B\u201d on your keyboard to bold it, which is usually heavier than the surrounding text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can select the text of the block and use the \u201cItalic\u201d option or \u201cCtrl+I\u201d \/ \u201cCmd+I\u201d on your keyboard to italicize it, which usually appears slanted to the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the link option to add a link to the Poetry block. It\u2019s also possible to set it to open the link in a new tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/link-editing\/\">Read about more link editing options.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More rich text options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drop-down menu to the left of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/more-options\/\">More options menu<\/a>&nbsp;contains a range of additional rich text editing options such as highlighting, inline code, strikethrough, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/more-text-editing-overview\/\">Read about more rich text editing options.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More options <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Options menu represented by three vertical dots on the far right of the toolbar gives you more features such as the ability to duplicate or remove the block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/more-options\/\">Read about these and other settings.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"block-settings\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Block settings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every block has specific options in the editor sidebar in addition to the options found in the block toolbar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"392\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-settings-392x1024.png\" alt=\"Poetry block settings\" class=\"wp-image-16367967\" style=\"width:240px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-settings-392x1024.png 392w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-settings-115x300.png 115w, https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/files\/2019\/03\/poetry-block-settings.png 566w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Color <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block provides Color settings options to change the text and background colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/colors-settings-overview\/\">See this guide for more information about changing colors<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background image<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose the Add background image button to select an image to appear behind the text of the Poetry block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Typography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block provides typography settings to change the font family, size, appearance, line height, letter case, letter spacing, and decoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/typography-settings-overview\/\">Get more details about changing typography settings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dimensions <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block provides dimension settings options to change padding and margin size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/dimension-controls-overview\/\">Learn more about dimension controls<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Border<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetryblock provides border settings options to add border color, width, and radius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/border-settings-overview\/\">Learn more about border settings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advanced<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Poetry block provides the following Advanced settings options: HTML Anchor, Additional CSS Class(es), Additional CSS, and Styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e5f5fa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/article\/advanced-settings-overview\/\">Learn more about advanced settings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group changelog has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"background-color:#e0e0e0\">\n<h2 id=\"changelog\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">Changelog<strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2026-05-20 (props to @awetz583)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Updated Verse block name to Poetry block<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated screenshots and video for  7.0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added link to advanced settings page<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2026-03-02 (props to @karthickmurugan @prikari @itsjustdj @jyolsna @rollybueno @ramsesdelr @benazeer @awetz583)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Updated information about the block<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated screenshots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Updated headings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added Block settings: Background image<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023-11-21\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Updated screenshots for 6.4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023-07-25\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fix broken image URL<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023-06-08\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Replaced &#8220;More rich text options&#8221; section with short summary linking to new dedicated page for rich text editing options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2022-06-02\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Updated the content for 6.0. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added ALT tags for images.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2022-06-02\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Screenshots as per WordPress 6.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2022-02-04\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Screenshots and video as per WordPress 5.9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minor option updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2020-09-29\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Screenshots and video as per WordPress 5.5<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added feature changes in Block Toolbar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added feature changes in Block Settings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Added &#8220;Go back to the list of Blocks&#8221; to the top of the page<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Created 2019-03-07<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Go to the List of Blocks The Poetry block is specifically designed for writing poetry, song lyrics, or other literary expressions. Unlike the Paragraph block, the Poetry block preserves all spaces and line breaks exactly as you enter them. This makes it ideal for content where formatting, such as indentation or line breaks, is critical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13243985,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false},"category":[80,85],"class_list":["post-11285261","helphub_article","type-helphub_article","status-publish","hentry","category-customization","category-text-blocks"],"revision_note":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/11285261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/helphub_article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11285261"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/11285261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16368653,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/11285261\/revisions\/16368653"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/avillegasn"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11285261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=11285261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}