Select Second-to-Last Child with jQuery nth-last-child

This article explains how to target and select the second-to-last child element within a container using jQuery's :nth-last-child() selector. You will learn the exact syntax required, review a practical HTML and JavaScript example, and understand the difference between this approach and related methods.

The :nth-last-child() Syntax

The :nth-last-child(n) pseudo-class counts elements starting from the end of the parent container toward the beginning. Because counting starts at 1 for the very last child, passing 2 as the argument targets the second-to-last element.

To select the second-to-last child element within a parent container, use the following selector pattern:

$('.container :nth-last-child(2)')

Alternatively, if you want to restrict the selection to direct children of a specific type (such as a list item or paragraph), target the tag directly:

$('ul > li:nth-last-child(2)')

Complete Code Example

Consider an unordered list containing five items:

<ul id="my-list">
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
  <li>Item 3</li>
  <li>Item 4</li> <!-- This is the second-to-last child -->
  <li>Item 5</li>
</ul>

To select and apply a style to "Item 4", run:

$(document).ready(function() {
  $('#my-list li:nth-last-child(2)').css('color', 'red');
});

You can also use jQuery's .children() method combined with the selector:

$('#my-list').children(':nth-last-child(2)').addClass('highlight');

Key Considerations

• 1-Based Indexing: Unlike standard JavaScript arrays which use zero-based indexing (0, 1, 2...), :nth-last-child() uses 1-based indexing. Index 1 is the last child, and index 2 is the second-to-last child.
• Sibling Types: The :nth-last-child() selector counts all sibling elements regardless of tag name. If the second-to-last element in the container is a <div> instead of an <li>, targeting li:nth-last-child(2) will select nothing. If you have mixed tags and want the second-to-last element of a specific type, use the :nth-last-of-type(2) selector instead.