Mistypography

Mistypography refers to typographic errors or irregularities that occur during the composition, typesetting, or digital rendering of text. It covers mistakes affecting letters, spacing, punctuation, or overall layout, and can reduce readability or alter meaning. The term is used descriptively in both print and on-screen contexts to describe unwanted or unintended typography.

Common forms of mistypography include letter-level errors such as typos and transposed or omitted letters, misspellings, and incorrect capitalization. Punctuation mistakes, misplaced commas or periods, and inconsistent hyphenation can disrupt flow. Spacing and layout problems—unintended gaps, uneven tracking, poor kerning, or rivers of white space in justified text—also fall under mistypography. In digital work, font substitution, ligature glitches, and encoding problems (for example, garbled characters) contribute to the issue. Across prints and screens, inconsistent font pairing, weight clashes, or misapplied styles can undermine legibility and brand consistency.

Causes include human error in proofreading and data entry, as well as automated processes such as optical character recognition (OCR) mistakes, automated typesetting, or incorrect font rendering across devices and platforms. Encoding mismatches and software bugs can introduce or perpetuate errors.

Impact and importance: mistypography can hinder understanding, erode credibility, increase production costs, and negatively affect accessibility. In branding or legal contexts, even small errors can carry disproportionate consequences.

Detection and correction: thorough proofreading, adherence to style guides, and standardized templates help prevent mistakes. Automated tools for spellchecking, grammar, typography checks (spacing, kerning, hyphenation), and accessibility testing support quality assurance. A rigorous review workflow before publication can substantially reduce mistypography.