How to common kerning pairs and their typical values
- Step 1Caps-Caps essentials — AV, AW, AY, FA, LT, LV, LW, LY, PA, TA, VA, WA, YA — all must-kern with values typically -50 to -100.
- Step 2Caps-lowercase — Te, To, Tu, Tw, Ty, Va, Ve, Vo, Wa, We, Wo, Ya, Ye, Yo — must-kern, values -30 to -80.
- Step 3lowercase-lowercase — av, aw, ay, gr, oc, oe, ow, va, vo — moderate kerning, -10 to -40. Less visible than caps pairs but still affects body type quality.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most-kerned pair?+
AV typically gets the largest absolute kerning value (-80 to -120) because the negative space between A and V is the largest visual gap in Latin typography. Strong test of a font's kerning quality.
Are punctuation pairs important?+
Yes — comma + quote (,'), period + quote (.'), and bracket pairs ([A], (A) often need kerning. Less critical than letter pairs but contribute to typographic polish.
Why don't some fonts kern lowercase pairs?+
Foundries sometimes optimise for body-text use and skip lowercase-only kerning — at 14px the difference is invisible. Display fonts almost always kern lowercase too because at headline sizes the gaps become visible.
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