Typography Terminology

noun a set of letters or symbols in a fixed order used to represent the basic sounds of a language

• The alphabet consists of 26 letters in the English language.
• I'm teaching my toddler the alphabet by singing the ABC song.
• I need to memorize the alphabet for my upcoming test.
• Learning a new language is like deciphering a whole new alphabet.

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being, in this case 'bold faced' could be used as a verb to describe the act of making text appear in a bold typeface

adjective a word or phrase that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case 'bold faced' describes a type of text that is printed in a dark, heavy typeface

• The key points are highlighted in bold faced text for easy reference.
• I made sure to use bold faced font for the important parts of the presentation.
• She always writes her messages in bold faced so they stand out.
• His lies were like bold faced truths, impossible to ignore.

noun a category of typefaces that have a more mechanical appearance and are typically used for text that will be reproduced by a printing process such as offset printing or letterpress printing

• The newspaper was printed using the cold type method.
• I prefer reading books in cold type rather than digital format.
• I can't stand reading anything in cold type, it hurts my eyes.
• His writing style is like cold type, precise and unemotional.

noun a symbol or character that is used in writing or printing

verb not applicable

adjective not applicable

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• The ancient manuscript contained intricate glyphs that were used to represent different words and concepts.
• I couldn't understand the meaning of those weird glyphs on the stone tablet.
• The graffiti artist's signature glyph was spray-painted all over the city.
• The glyph of a heart symbolizes love and affection in many cultures.

adjective relating to or consisting of glyphs, which are characters or symbols used in writing or inscriptions

• The ancient civilization left behind many glyphic inscriptions on stone tablets.
• I love looking at all the cool glyphic designs on the walls of this old building.
• Check out the sick glyphic artwork on this skateboard!
• His words were like glyphic symbols, difficult to decipher but full of hidden meaning.

noun a word or phrase written in italic font

adjective a typeface with letters slanting slightly to the right, often used for emphasis or to indicate titles of works

• In academic writing, it is important to use italics for book titles.
• Can you please italicize the important points in the presentation?
• I love how that word looks italicized in the text.
• Her words were like italicized reminders of the past, standing out in the conversation.

verb to emphasize or draw attention to something by using italics

adjective describing something that has been formatted in italics

• In academic writing, titles of books are often italicized to indicate emphasis.
• She always italicized important points in her notes to make them stand out.
• I italicized the juicy gossip in our group chat so everyone would notice it.
• The author italicized the protagonist's inner thoughts to give readers insight into their emotions.

noun a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization

verb none

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pronoun none

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conjunction none

interjection none

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• The professor asked the students to analyze the meaning behind the letters in the ancient text.
• I love receiving handwritten letters from my pen pal.
• I can't believe he ghosted me after I poured my heart out in those letters.
• The letters of support from her friends were like a warm hug during her difficult time.

noun A character or symbol that is combined with another character in writing or printing

• The ligature used in the surgery was made of a biocompatible material.
• I accidentally broke the ligature while trying to tie it around the package.
• I can't find the dang ligature for my guitar strings anywhere!
• The strong bond between the two friends acted as a ligature, keeping them connected through thick and thin.

adjective very small in size or importance

• The minuscule amount of data collected was not sufficient for analysis.
• I only took a minuscule bite of the cake, it was so good!
• The chances of winning the lottery are minuscule, don't get your hopes up.
• His contribution to the project was minuscule compared to the rest of the team's efforts.

noun a disorder characterized by the persistent eating of non-nutritive substances such as dirt or paper

• Pica is a disorder characterized by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive, such as paper, clay, metal, chalk, soil, glass, or sand.
• I heard that she has pica and craves eating ice all the time.
• Some people joke that they have pica because they can't stop themselves from eating junk food.
• His obsession with collecting vintage records could be seen as a form of pica for music enthusiasts.

noun a style of type without serifs, or small lines at the ends of characters

adjective describing a typeface without serifs

• The document was written in a clean and professional sans serif font.
• I prefer using sans serif fonts for my presentations because they look modern.
• I think sans serif fonts are super cool and trendy.
• Her writing style is like a sans serif font - simple and straightforward.

adjective having a slope or tilt; not level or straight

• The artist carefully adjusted the slanted lines in his drawing to create a sense of movement.
• I noticed the slanted roof of the house next door, it looks pretty cool.
• She gave me a slanted look when I asked her about the party.
• His slanted view of the situation made it difficult for him to see the truth.

adjective having a slope or inclination; not level or straight

• The architect designed the roof with a slanting angle to allow for proper drainage.
• I love how the sunlight streams in through the slanting windows in the afternoon.
• She always wears her hat at a slanting angle to look cool.
• His slanting remarks about her work made her feel insecure.

noun a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j

verb to jot down or write something quickly or briefly

• The tittle on the letter 'i' is a small dot above the lowercase letter.
• Make sure you don't forget the tittle when writing your name.
• I like to add a little tittle to my signature to make it unique.
• Every detail matters, even the smallest tittle can make a difference in a work of art.

noun a line drawn under a word or phrase for emphasis

verb to draw a line under something to give emphasis or highlight

• It is important to underline key points in your presentation to emphasize their significance.
• Make sure to underline the due date on the assignment sheet so you don't forget.
• I always underline the juicy gossip in my magazines.
• The artist used different colors to underline the emotions in his painting.

noun a type of informal dance party

• The invitation specified that the event would be a formal wingding.
• I heard the party last night was a real wingding!
• Let's throw a wingding at my place this weekend!
• The project team celebrated the successful completion of their work with a wingding of a party.

noun the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font

• The graphic designer carefully adjusted the kerning between each letter to ensure optimal spacing.
• I think the kerning on this poster could use some tweaking, it looks a bit off.
• Dude, you need to fix the kerning on your presentation slides, it's hurting my eyes.
• The kerning between them seemed to represent the distance that had grown between their friendship.

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific thing or set of things, such as 'quotes'

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun, such as 'straight'

• It is important to use straight quotes when writing formal documents.
• Make sure to use straight quotes in your emails and messages.
• I always forget to use straight quotes when texting my friends.
• She always speaks in straight quotes, never beating around the bush.

noun double quotation marks used in typography to indicate direct speech or a quotation

adjective intelligent or clever

• It is important to use smart quotes in academic writing to maintain proper formatting.
• Make sure to turn on smart quotes in your word processor for a cleaner look.
• I always forget to use smart quotes when texting, it's just too much work.
• Using smart quotes in your speech can make you sound more sophisticated and well-spoken.

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'all-caps' can be a noun when referring to text written in all capital letters.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun. 'All-caps' is an adjective in this context, describing the type of text formatting used.

adverb A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by providing information on how, when, where, or to what extent. 'All-caps' can also function as an adverb when describing how something is written or displayed.

• The company's branding guidelines specify that the logo must be displayed in ALL-CAPS.
• I can't stand it when people type in all-caps, it feels like they're yelling.
• Why are you texting me in ALL-CAPS? Are you mad or something?
• His love for her was written in ALL-CAPS, bold and undeniable.

noun a typographical symbol (¶) used to indicate a new paragraph or section in a text

• The pilcrow is a typographical character used to indicate a new paragraph.
• I always use the pilcrow symbol when formatting my documents.
• Hey, can you add more pilcrows to separate the sections in this report?
• The pilcrow represents a fresh start in the story of our company's success.

noun a punctuation mark (‽) that combines the functions of a question mark and an exclamation point, used to express a question in an excited or rhetorical manner

• The interrobang is a punctuation mark that combines a question mark and an exclamation point.
• I love using the interrobang in my text messages to show excitement and curiosity‽
• Did you see that photo of the interrobang tattoo on social media? It's wild!
• The interrobang in her eyes showed a mix of surprise and disbelief.