letterspace: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low frequency, specialised termSpecialised / Technical
Quick answer
What does “letterspace” mean?
To adjust the space between individual letters in typesetting or word processing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To adjust the space between individual letters in typesetting or word processing.
To spread out or arrange characters more widely than normal for aesthetic, functional, or emphasis purposes.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant semantic difference. Spelling follows standard UK/US conventions for compounds (letter-spacing as noun form is more common).
Connotations
None specific to region.
Frequency
Equally low in both dialects, confined to specialist fields.
Grammar
How to Use “letterspace” in a Sentence
[Subject] letterspace [Object] (e.g., The designer letterspaced the title).[Object] is letterspaced (e.g., The logo was carefully letterspaced).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “letterspace” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- You'll need to letterspace that heading for better legibility.
- The old poster was beautifully hand-lettered and letterspaced.
American English
- Let's letterspace the company name in the new logo.
- I had to manually letterspace the line because the font looked too tight.
adverb
British English
- The title was set very letterspaced.
- He typed the heading letterspaced to match the design.
American English
- The text ran letterspaced across the top of the page.
- Print it letterspaced, please.
adjective
British English
- The letterspaced type gave the poster a classic feel.
- Avoid overly letterspaced body text as it hinders reading.
American English
- The letterspaced headline drew more attention.
- She preferred a slightly letterspaced version of the font.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in branding or marketing material design discussions.
Academic
Used in studies of typography, graphic design history, or publishing.
Everyday
Virtually never used in general conversation.
Technical
The primary domain. Used in software manuals (e.g., Adobe InDesign), by graphic designers, typographers, and printers.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “letterspace”
- Using it as a general term for 'double-spacing' lines of text.
- Misspelling as two separate words ('letter space') when using as a verb.
- Confusing it with 'justify' text.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are related but distinct. Letterspacing (or tracking) adjusts the spacing uniformly across a range of characters. Kerning adjusts the space between two specific characters (like 'AV') to achieve visual harmony.
It is highly unlikely. It is a technical term from typography. In general contexts, you would say 'add more space between the letters' or 'spread the letters out'.
The opposite action is to reduce the space between letters, often called 'tightening the tracking', 'condensing', or using negative letterspacing.
It is primarily used as a verb. The noun form is usually 'letterspacing'. You might see 'letter-spacing' (with a hyphen) as a noun attribute in CSS (e.g., letter-spacing: 2px).
To adjust the space between individual letters in typesetting or word processing.
Letterspace is usually specialised / technical in register.
Letterspace: in British English it is pronounced /ˈlɛtəˌspeɪs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈlɛt̬ɚˌspeɪs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of placing LETTERS into SPACE – you are putting space between the letters.
Conceptual Metaphor
TEXT IS A FABRIC (where spacing is the weave or stretch).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would you most likely encounter the verb 'to letterspace'?