How do you select an element with a specific class in CSS?

Selecting an element with a specific class in CSS is achieved using the dot notation. This method utilizes the dot (.) followed by the class name to apply styles to all elements that have that class. For example, if you want to style all elements with the class "classname," you would write .classname in your CSS file. This effectively ensures that any element in your HTML marked with this class will inherit the defined styles, allowing for organized and efficient styling of multiple elements sharing the same class.

The other selection methods serve different purposes. The hash notation is used for targeting elements with a specific ID, the asterisk (*) selects all elements on the page, and the colon (:) is often used in pseudo-classes to style elements in certain states, such as :hover. Understanding these differences is crucial for effectively applying CSS to your web projects.