italicization

Italicization is the practice of setting text in italics, a typographic style in which letters slant to the right. In many fonts, italics are a distinct typeface; in others they are an oblique version of the regular face. True italics are designed with letterforms that differ from the upright letters, not merely slanted copies.

Italics emerged in Renaissance Italy as a compact way to convey emphasis and to imitate handwriting. The first widely used italic type was designed by Francesco Griffo for Aldus Manutius in the early 1500s, and it was soon adopted across Europe. Over time, italic styles became standard in many type families and remain common in print and digital typography.

Common uses include marking emphasis in prose, setting the titles of major works (books, films, newspapers), and indicating foreign words or phrases that are not commonly assimilated into the language. Italics are also used for technical terms and new terms on first introduction, scientific names in biology, and variables or symbols in mathematics and sciences. In editing and style guides, italics help distinguish content without adding extra punctuation.

Style guides typically advise restraint in using italics, reserving them for established purposes and avoiding long passages of heavily italicized text. In web content, semantic markup such as emphasis or quotation can convey the intended meaning beyond typography. Understanding the distinction between italic and oblique in a given font helps ensure consistent appearance across media.