fraktur: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Yes, commonly. The 'Old English Text MT' or 'Gothic' fonts in many software applications are digital renditions of Fraktur or similar blackletter styles.

Yes, technically, but it is highly unusual and used almost exclusively for decorative purposes (e.g., newspaper mastheads, certificates, heavy metal band logos) due to its strong cultural association with the German language and poor readability for lengthy English texts.

The Nazis initially promoted it as 'German script' but abruptly declared it 'Jewish' (due to its use by Jewish scholars) and banned it in 1941, ordering a switch to Antiqua (roman type) for better legibility across occupied Europe. Post-war, the simpler Antiqua script became standard.

For native English speakers used to roman letters, it can be challenging initially due to distinct letterforms (e.g., the lowercase 's' often looks like an 'f' without a crossbar). With practice, especially for those familiar with German, it becomes readable.

A style of blackletter typeface or calligraphy characterized by broken, angular letterforms.

Fraktur is usually technical, academic, historical in register.

Fraktur: in British English it is pronounced /fɹakˈtʊə/, and in American English it is pronounced /fɹækˈtʊɹ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.