Readability
Most Readable Font
Enhance your website's user experience with the most readable font. Explore what makes a font readable and discover top options for your content.
Are you looking for the most readable font for your website? It’s not a bad idea! People often forget that having clear, legible text is an important part of the user experience. After all, how are your visitors going to navigate your website effectively if they can’t read its content?
So, in this article, we’re going to explore some of the most accessible, readable fonts. We’ll discuss what makes a font readable, and give you some of the best options to choose from for your website. And as a bonus, we’ll give you some other tips on improving the readability of your content.
Now, let’s get started!
Though your audience’s age plays a role (research shows that reading speed generally slows down as people get older, especially after 35), there are several font-related factors to consider when determining the most readable one for your website. Here are some of the most important.
Font size shouldn’t be a surprise. Even the most otherwise readable font will be hard to see if you make it too small. And this applies to the other end of the spectrum as well - if the font is too big, then it can prevent your readers from quickly scanning through a page.
The same goes for color. Your chosen font may tick all the other boxes for legibility, but if you’re doing, say, a dark blue font on a black background, your audience will likely struggle to see it.
Unless you’re familiar with typefaces (certain styles of lettering), then you may not know about this one. Serifs are the little strokes or lines at the ends of the larger lines that make up letters. For example:
This font is called PT Serif.
Notice the extra little lines in there? These serif fonts are typically more difficult to read than their sans-serif (without serif) counterparts. The keyword there though is “typically”, as this isn’t always the case.
Kerning (spacing between two letters), tracking (spacing between letters in word), and leading (spacing between lines) all refer to spacing. If you cram everything in too tight, then it can be difficult to tell one element from another. Too spread out, and your readers will need to work harder to form words and sentences.
Of course, there are other factors that can come into play, but these are some of the top considerations for determining readable fonts.
Now, with the previous factors in mind, let’s explore some of the most readable fonts.
This is an Arial font.
It’s easy to see why sans-serif Arial is the default choice in word processors like Google Docs: it’s a clean, legible option. And since it’s so popular, there’s a good chance you won’t have any issue using it in web designs.
This is a Times New Roman font.
Another classic! Like Arial, you’ll often see Times New Roman as the default choice for many types of documents. This is one of those fonts that breaks that no-serif rule in readability, and justifiably so. Really, do you have any issues reading this one?
This is a Verdana font.
Interestingly, Microsoft came up with Verdana when they were looking for a readable font for computer screens. Another sans-serif option, documents written in Verdana are easy to read due to the font’s distinct letter shapes and open design.
This is a Georgia font.
Now, back to a serif font! Like Verdana, Georgia was also specifically designed for web documents. But what makes it really stand out is that Georgia remains legible at really small sizes, making it the perfect choice for mobile device optimization.
This is a Merriweather font.
Our final readable font is another serif type, Merriweather. This one has a similar story to Georgia, as it was created for online use and is still legible at small font sizes. In fact, if you’ve been in the web design world for a minute, you may even remember it as the default option in Wordpress templates.
While font choice is important, it’s not the only way to create more readable text. So, if you want to improve the readability of your content even further, consider the following tips:
By using one of the most readable fonts on your website, you can ensure that visitors will be able to read your content and navigate it effectively. And if you want to take things even further, then consider using short, common words, shorter sentences, and a readability checker to bring your readability game to a whole new level.
So, what are you waiting for? More readable, accessible content is right around the corner!
