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How to Control Drop Caps and Remove the Large First Letter in Ashe

27 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Ashe

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A common question from users of the Ashe theme is how to manage the large, stylized capital letter that appears at the beginning of a blog post. This feature, known as a "drop cap," is a popular design element, but it may not fit every website's aesthetic. Based on community discussions, here’s a breakdown of the issue and the most effective solutions.

What is the Drop Cap Feature?

The drop cap is a typographical style where the first character of a paragraph is enlarged. In the Ashe theme, this is controlled by a setting labeled "Show Drop Caps" located within the WordPress Customizer under Blog Page > Post Elements.

Why Can't I Remove the Drop Cap?

Many users report that unchecking the "Show Drop Caps" option does not always work as expected. This can happen for a few reasons:

  • Browser or Site Cache: Your browser or a caching plugin on your site might be serving an old, stored version of the page.
  • CSS Overrides: Custom CSS from a plugin, child theme, or the Customizer itself could be overriding the theme's default styles.
  • Theme Settings Conflict: In rare cases, a conflict with another setting might prevent the change from taking effect.

How to Fix It: Step-by-Step Solutions

Method 1: The Standard Setting (Recommended First Step)

First, ensure you have correctly disabled the feature in the theme options.

  1. Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Appearance > Customize.
  3. Click on Blog Page.
  4. Click on Post Elements.
  5. Find the "Show Drop Caps" checkbox and ensure it is unchecked.
  6. Click Publish to save your changes.

Method 2: Clear All Caches

If the drop cap remains after disabling the setting, clear all caching.

  • Clear your browser cache or try viewing the site in a private/incognito window.
  • If you use a caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache), clear its cache.
  • If your host provides a server-level cache, clear that as well.

Method 3: Apply Custom CSS (The Guaranteed Fix)

If the drop cap is still visible, you can force it to hide with a small CSS code snippet. This method is highly effective.

  1. In the WordPress Customizer, go to Additional CSS.
  2. Copy and paste the following code:
    .single-post .has-drop-cap:not(:focus)::first-letter { font-size: 1em !important; }
  3. Click Publish to save the CSS.

This code specifically targets the first letter of paragraphs in blog posts and resets its size to match the rest of the text, effectively removing the drop cap effect.

Need More Help?

If you've tried all the steps above and are still experiencing issues, the problem could be related to a conflict with another plugin or your specific site configuration. A good troubleshooting step is to temporarily deactivate all plugins to see if the drop cap disappears. If it does, reactivate them one by one to identify the culprit.

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