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In metal typesetting some fonts have default increased or decreased leading. In typography, leading (/ˈlɛdɪŋ/ LED-ing) is the space between adjacent lines of type; the exact definition varies. The lack of white space between lines makes it difficult for the eye to track from one line to the next, makes rivers more obvious, and hampers readability. This combination of type size and distance between baselines is described as “10 on 12 pt”, which may appear in a book’s colophon as “Typeset in 10 on 12 pt Times Roman”, or similar.
The leading may be increased to align the bottom line of text on a page in a process known as feathering, carding, or vertical justification. In CSS, leading refers to the difference between the content height and the value of the line-height property. In this way the leading of a page can have a profound effect on the written text.
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The lines on the front of a page and the verso (back) should line up vertically, line for line. Letters with high ascenders and low descenders can interfere with one another between lines, if the leading is small enough to allow them to touch one another. However, for short bursts of text a negative leading can enhance the message of the text and can create a more effective text.
No two fonts are exactly alike, and for that reason many have characteristics that demand a certain leading. There are instances that call for a change in leading, such as when a block quote is placed within a written text. It would cause the text to be harder to read, as lines would be forced together, lessening room between lines and hindering readability. A negative leading could be viewed as a hindrance to readability. An example of negative leading is (12/10) where 2 points are removed from the default leading. Too much leading can cause continuity problems, as the eyes of the reader are required to travel a greater distance between lines of text.
For instance, given a type size of 10 points and a distance between baselines of 12 points, the leading would be 2 points. Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Such fonts are usually called “bastard” fonts or types. To achieve this, a smaller font face is cast on the body of a larger font or vice versa. Leading is an important issue to consider when printing, as it can enhance readability, but it can also affect the number of pages, as larger leadings decrease the number of lines per page. As well, fonts that are serif should be leaded wider than those that are sans serif.
For a space character, see Whitespace character. For single and double spaces between sentences, see Sentence spacing. For the water navigation concept, see Leading lines.
Double spacing increases the amount of unused white space on a page and reduces the number of lines on a page. The typographer Matthew Butterick recommends leading between 20% and 45% of the font size. The word comes from lead strips that were put between set lines of lead type, hence the pronunciation “ledding” and not “leeding”. The thickness of the strip is called leading and is equal to the difference between the size of the type and the distance from one baseline to the next. In hand typesetting, leading is the thin strips of lead (or aluminium) that were inserted between lines of type in the composing stick to increase the vertical distance between them. Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context.
The EU in recent years has tried to tackle the imbalance through higher tariffs and a wave of anti-subsidy probes in the clean tech sector, leading to increased trade frictions between Brussels and Beijing. First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun); lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense Missing Link Quiz May 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot…
Typewriters had a limited number of options for leading, and double spacing was chosen as a default. Double spacing is an entrenched practice due to the era of typewriters and, in academic settings, to allow the addition of handwritten comments and proofreading. In The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst recommends more leading for longer measures, and for typefaces with darker weight, larger x-height, a vertical axis, or no serifs. Leading can be used to enhance the legibility of a page or block of text. Consumer-oriented word-processing software often talks of line spacing or, more accurately, interline spacing.
