Ascender

An ascender is the portion of a lowercase letter that rises above the x-height—the height of the body of lowercase letters without ascenders or descenders. Letters with ascenders include b, d, f, h, k, l, and t. By contrast, certain letters such as g, j, p, q, and y have descenders that extend below the baseline.

The top of an ascender typically lies below the cap height, the height of uppercase letters. The presence and length of ascenders vary between typefaces and influence the overall texture and legibility of text. Descenders and ascenders together contribute to the vertical rhythm of a font.

In font metrics, the ascender is part of the character height measurements used to determine line spacing and layout. Designers consider ascenders alongside x-height, cap height, and baseline when shaping a typeface, as these elements affect readability, balance, and how letters from different fonts align in blocks of text.

In handwriting and calligraphy, the term ascender describes strokes that rise above the mean line. The length and style of ascenders in handwriting can vary with script, writer, and expressive intent, but the basic notion—strokes extending above the body height—remains the same.