Lihavoiduksi

Lihavoiduksi is a Finnish term referring to the act or result of applying bold formatting to text. In common usage the concept is closely linked to the noun lihavoitus, and the illative form lihavoiduksi appears in instructions such as muuttaa teksti lihavoiduksi, meaning to set the text in bold.

The concept encompasses both the typographic effect and the methods used to achieve it in different media. Traditionally, bold is produced by choosing a typeface with a heavier weight. In digital environments, boldness is implemented through markup or styling: HTML uses strong or b elements, CSS uses font-weight: bold, and Markdown uses double asterisks or underscores to indicate bold text. Word processors provide a bold formatting option as well.

Bold text is commonly used for emphasis, to highlight headings or key terms, and to improve readability in dense content. Good practice emphasizes semantic meaning alongside visual emphasis: in web content, use semantic markup such as strong for emphasis rather than relying solely on bold appearance, and ensure adequate color and contrast when bold is used with various backgrounds.

There are caveats to consider. Overuse of bold can reduce readability and may conflict with user styles or assistive technologies. Bold does not inherently convey tone or importance in all languages or contexts, and designers should be mindful of how it interacts with accessibility and internationalization.

Lihavoiduksi is part of a broader set of typographic techniques, including italics, underline, and color, used to structure and emphasize written content.