Letterspacing

Letterspacing, commonly written as letter-spacing and often referred to as tracking in typography, refers to the adjustment of space between characters in a proportional font. Adjusting letterspacing alters the overall density and rhythm of text, influencing readability and visual character. It is commonly used in typography, graphic design, and user interface design.

Letterspacing differs from kerning. Kerning modifies the space between specific character pairs to achieve even optical spacing, while tracking adjusts spacing uniformly across a word, line, or block of text.

Measurement: Letterspacing is usually defined in physical or relative units. In typography, values may be in points, pixels, ems, or percentages. In CSS, the letter-spacing property accepts length values or the keyword normal. Positive values increase spacing; negative values reduce it; zero means default spacing.

Applications: Increased tracking is common in display text and uppercase titles to create a more mechanical or architectural look; reduced tracking can improve density and readability in tight layouts. It is used to fine-tune typography in web design, brand guidelines, and print.

Considerations: Excessive tracking can hinder legibility, especially at small sizes or with certain fonts. It interacts with line-length, font metrics, and letter shapes; testing across devices and accessibility guidelines is advised. Some languages and scripts may render differently with tracking adjustments.

History and context: Tracking has long been a standard feature in typesetting; digital fonts and CSS provide granular control. Modern practices balance readability, brand identity, and typographic hierarchy.