Installs from the source repository, including any supporting files.
Instructions
Downloads contain the instructions shown here. Use the install command for the complete skill.
Typography
This skill sets and reviews how text renders, from the type scale and spacing to font loading, wrapping and punctuation. It writes every fix in the project's styling system, and the cheat sheet maps each declaration to its Tailwind utility.
The words belong to better-writing, semantic heading structure to better-accessibility and spatial RTL layout to better-layout. Measure contrast with better-colors; whether it passes is better-accessibility's.
Measured, not preferred
Some values here are exact. Unitless line-height, weight 400 or heavier below 18px, a 60–75 character measure, 16px inputs on iOS and tabular-nums on changing values are findings when missed.
Letter-spacing, pairing and scale ratios are heuristics. Report them only where they break the project's own scale. Never propose a new typeface, paid or free, unless the task asks for a type change.
Fewer fonts, sizes and weights
Rarely use more than three fonts; marketing pages can carry more than apps. Weight and size carry hierarchy, so each extra one dilutes it. Pair for contrast. A serif headline over a sans body reads as deliberate, two near-identical sans-serifs read as a mistake.
Below 18px, use weight 400 or heavier. Weights 100–300 belong at 28px and up, checked against the background even there. Categories, Display and Text cuts, formats and fallback stacks are in choosing-fonts.md.
Load the faces the design uses
Browsers synthesize a weight or style the family doesn't ship, distorting the face. Load every face the design uses. Disable synthesis only after verifying the fallback stack, and only the unwanted mode. The synthesis longhands show how.
Properties over raw tags
When a CSS property exists, use it. font-weight: 650, not font-variation-settings: "wght" 650. font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums, not . Properties keep working when a non-variable fallback renders.
font-feature-settings: "tnum" 1
Leave font-optical-sizing at its default auto. Hard-code "opsz" only when the design deliberately decouples optical size from font size. Reserve raw tags for custom axes like "GRAD" 80 and features with no property, like "ss01" 1. Axes, features and variable versus static files are in variable-fonts-and-opentype.md.
Use a type scale with semantic names
Define a small set of sizes and deviate from it as little as possible. Pair each size with its line-height and weight, so a role is one decision instead of three.
Solo, default names like text-sm are fine when the usage rules are clear. On a team, name sizes by use (text-body-sm) so the rules survive other people. A role-based starting scale is in the reference.
Heading sizes descend with level
Map heading levels to descending steps of the scale, so a subordinate heading never overpowers its parent. Deep levels may share a size where the scale runs out of steps, as long as weight or letter-spacing keeps them distinct. A heading is never smaller than body text unless it is a deliberate overline. See the level mapping.
Line-height by role
Display text 1.1, headings 1.2–1.3, body copy 1.5–1.6. Use unitless values so line-height scales with the font size; a fixed 24px does not.
Tight line-height is for short text. Anything that wraps to three or more lines needs at least 1.4, even in a height-constrained row. See the card description example.
Letter-spacing by size
Headings at 24px and up take -0.01em to -0.02em. Uppercase labels at 14px or smaller take 0.05em. Body copy stays at 0. Use em so tracking scales with the size.
Kerning is built into the font and on by default. font-kerning: none is never a fix.
Cap the measure
Cap long-form text at 60–75 characters per line. Any unit works, as long as a cap exists and the line length lands in range. See unit choices and the pixel equivalents.
Wrap deliberately
text-wrap: balance evens out headings and short descriptions. Never on paragraphs, and Chromium ignores it past six lines.
text-wrap: pretty keeps a lone word off the last line. Safe on any paragraph, long-form included.
overflow-wrap: break-word where a long word, link or ID could escape the container.
white-space: nowrap on labels and badges where a line break looks broken.
Keep interface text at text-align: start. justify belongs only in specific editorial layouts.
Tabular numbers on changing values
Apply font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums to timers, counters, prices and numeric table columns, so every digit keeps one width and nothing shifts. Leave figures in prose proportional.
Truncate with a way back
For one line, overflow: hidden, text-overflow: ellipsis and white-space: nowrap, which Tailwind's truncate sets together. For several, display: -webkit-box, -webkit-box-orient: vertical, -webkit-line-clamp: 3 and overflow: hidden, which Tailwind's line-clamp-3 emits.
A truncated value needs a way back to the full text, which better-layout owns.
Natural case, typographic punctuation
Store text in natural case and set case with text-transform, so a redesign never means rewriting copy.
Rendered text uses typographic characters, never their keyboard stand-ins. Curly quotes, en dashes, the ellipsis character and non-breaking spaces are in the substitution table. Code keeps straight quotes.
Underlines from the font
Set text-underline-position: from-font and text-decoration-thickness: from-font, or tune text-underline-offset and thickness by hand. A dotted text-decoration-style hints that a word carries extra information, such as an abbreviation or a defined term. See the underline recipes.
Color is the only part of a real underline that animates reliably. Any other underline animation needs a separate element, and its motion is better-ui's.
Inputs at 16px on mobile
iOS Safari zooms the whole page when an input's text is smaller than 16px. Two fixes hold 16px and look different, so ask which one the design wants:
Size the input up on mobile (text-base sm:text-sm). Changes how it looks on small screens.
Keep font-size: 16px and render the intended size with transform: scale(). Identical at every viewport, more code to maintain.
Start long-form body text at 16px, the browser default. Move off it only for a reason you can name, such as a typeface that runs small, a narrow measure or a dense professional tool.
UI text can go smaller. Start inputs and menus at 14px and captions at 13px, and rarely go below 12px. Set font-size in rem so the reader's browser font size still applies.
Font smoothing on the root
Apply -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased and -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale once on the root, never per component. Tailwind's antialiased sets both.
Language and bidi behavior
Set lang so browsers and assistive technology pick the right quotes, hyphenation and pronunciation. Set dir on the document and wherever direction changes. Wrap a mixed-direction value in <bdi> and never reorder digits by hand. How long paragraphs and numbers behave is in wrapping-and-punctuation.md.
Trim text boxes in tight containers
In buttons and badges, the space a font reserves above and below its letters makes text sit low. text-box: trim-both cap alphabetic trims it as a progressive enhancement. See the edges, keywords and support.
Decorative text in CSS, not images
Build drop caps, gradient text, outlines and text shadows in CSS so the text stays selectable and searchable. The properties and their support are in the reference.
Keep useful text selectable
Keep text selectable by default. ::selection can carry brand into the reading experience, as long as the selected combination stays legible. Styling other ranges such as search matches is in the reference.
user-select: none belongs on a draggable or gesture-driven surface where accidental selection interferes. Never across the interface and never because a button label can be highlighted.
Before you finish
Pattern
Fix
font-weight value with no matching weight in the loaded @font-face files
Load that face or use a weight the family ships
font-synthesis: none on body or interface text
Remove it; set only the unwanted longhand after checking the fallback stack
font-variation-settings: "wght" or "opsz"
font-weight; drop "opsz" so font-optical-sizing: auto applies
font-feature-settings: "tnum" or "zero"
font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums or slashed-zero
line-height in px or rem
A unitless value
leading-none or leading-tight on a description, card body or anything that can wrap
1.4 or more
letter-spacing in px
The same value in em
Body font-size in px
rem
Weight 100–300 or font-thin, font-light on text under 18px
400 or heavier
text-wrap: balance on a paragraph
text-wrap: pretty
text-align: justify in application UI
text-align: start
-webkit-line-clamp without display: -webkit-box
Add display: -webkit-box and -webkit-box-orient: vertical
A timer, counter, price or numeric column without tabular-nums
font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums
..., -- or a hyphenated range in rendered strings
…, an em dash or an en dash
text-decoration-skip-ink: none
Remove it; set text-underline-offset or from-font instead
<input> with text-sm or 14px and no mobile override
One of the Inputs at 16px on mobile fixes
-webkit-font-smoothing or antialiased inside a component
Move it to the root
Mixed-direction value such as a name, number or URL without <bdi> or dir
Wrap it in <bdi>
user-select: none or select-none on a layout root or text container
Remove it; keep it only on a drag or gesture surface
Reporting
Severity.HIGH makes text unreadable, truncates content with no way back to it or clips text at 320px width or 200% zoom. The last two are better-interface escalation triggers, so they stay HIGH however minor the surface. MEDIUM breaks the type system or the visual heading hierarchy. LOW is isolated polish.
Verification. Without a browser, check declared size and weight per heading level, descending within each semantic section. Check declared line-height, units and measure. Check truncation rules against realistic string lengths. With one, compare computed values, then resize the viewport with real content to catch wrapping, lone last-line words and truncation. Report every check you could not run as Not verified.
Format. Group findings under the principle each violates, ordered by severity, one row per root cause listing every location it appears in:
Severity
Location
Before
After
Why
Location is path/to/file:line. Why names the principle and the user impact.
End with Block when any HIGH remains, Approve otherwise, leaving the rest in the table as work to do. Never Approve coverage you did not inspect. With nothing to report, state "No actionable typography findings" and report verification.
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
View raw Markdown
# Typography
This skill sets and reviews how text renders, from the type scale and spacing to font loading, wrapping and punctuation. It writes every fix in the project's styling system, and the [cheat sheet](css-cheat-sheet.md) maps each declaration to its Tailwind utility.
The words belong to `better-writing`, semantic heading structure to `better-accessibility` and spatial RTL layout to `better-layout`. Measure contrast with `better-colors`; whether it passes is `better-accessibility`'s.
## Measured, not preferred
Some values here are exact. Unitless line-height, weight `400` or heavier below `18px`, a 60–75 character measure, `16px` inputs on iOS and `tabular-nums` on changing values are findings when missed.
Letter-spacing, pairing and scale ratios are heuristics. Report them only where they break the project's own scale. Never propose a new typeface, paid or free, unless the task asks for a type change.
## Fewer fonts, sizes and weights
Rarely use more than three fonts; marketing pages can carry more than apps. Weight and size carry hierarchy, so each extra one dilutes it. Pair for contrast. A serif headline over a sans body reads as deliberate, two near-identical sans-serifs read as a mistake.
Below `18px`, use weight `400` or heavier. Weights `100`–`300` belong at `28px` and up, checked against the background even there. Categories, `Display` and `Text` cuts, formats and fallback stacks are in [choosing-fonts.md](choosing-fonts.md).
## Load the faces the design uses
Browsers synthesize a weight or style the family doesn't ship, distorting the face. Load every face the design uses. Disable synthesis only after verifying the fallback stack, and only the unwanted mode. The [synthesis longhands](variable-fonts-and-opentype.md#disable-synthesis-narrowly) show how.
## Properties over raw tags
When a CSS property exists, use it. `font-weight: 650`, not `font-variation-settings: "wght" 650`. `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums`, not `font-feature-settings: "tnum" 1`. Properties keep working when a non-variable fallback renders.
Leave `font-optical-sizing` at its default `auto`. Hard-code `"opsz"` only when the design deliberately decouples optical size from font size. Reserve raw tags for custom axes like `"GRAD" 80` and features with no property, like `"ss01" 1`. Axes, features and variable versus static files are in [variable-fonts-and-opentype.md](variable-fonts-and-opentype.md).
## Use a type scale with semantic names
Define a small set of sizes and deviate from it as little as possible. Pair each size with its line-height and weight, so a role is one decision instead of three.
Solo, default names like `text-sm` are fine when the usage rules are clear. On a team, name sizes by use (`text-body-sm`) so the rules survive other people. A [role-based starting scale](spacing-and-sizing.md#type-scale) is in the reference.
## Heading sizes descend with level
Map heading levels to descending steps of the scale, so a subordinate heading never overpowers its parent. Deep levels may share a size where the scale runs out of steps, as long as weight or letter-spacing keeps them distinct. A heading is never smaller than body text unless it is a deliberate overline. See the [level mapping](spacing-and-sizing.md#heading-hierarchy).
## Line-height by role
Display text `1.1`, headings `1.2`–`1.3`, body copy `1.5`–`1.6`. Use unitless values so line-height scales with the font size; a fixed `24px` does not.
Tight line-height is for short text. Anything that wraps to three or more lines needs at least `1.4`, even in a height-constrained row. See the [card description example](spacing-and-sizing.md#line-height-for-wrapping-text).
## Letter-spacing by size
Headings at `24px` and up take `-0.01em` to `-0.02em`. Uppercase labels at `14px` or smaller take `0.05em`. Body copy stays at `0`. Use `em` so tracking scales with the size.
Kerning is built into the font and on by default. `font-kerning: none` is never a fix.
## Cap the measure
Cap long-form text at 60–75 characters per line. Any unit works, as long as a cap exists and the line length lands in range. See [unit choices and the pixel equivalents](wrapping-and-punctuation.md#measure-line-length).
## Wrap deliberately
- `text-wrap: balance` evens out headings and short descriptions. Never on paragraphs, and Chromium ignores it past six lines.
- `text-wrap: pretty` keeps a lone word off the last line. Safe on any paragraph, long-form included.
- `overflow-wrap: break-word` where a long word, link or ID could escape the container.
- `white-space: nowrap` on labels and badges where a line break looks broken.
Keep interface text at `text-align: start`. `justify` belongs only in specific editorial layouts.
## Tabular numbers on changing values
Apply `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` to timers, counters, prices and numeric table columns, so every digit keeps one width and nothing shifts. Leave figures in prose proportional.
## Truncate with a way back
For one line, `overflow: hidden`, `text-overflow: ellipsis` and `white-space: nowrap`, which Tailwind's `truncate` sets together. For several, `display: -webkit-box`, `-webkit-box-orient: vertical`, `-webkit-line-clamp: 3` and `overflow: hidden`, which Tailwind's `line-clamp-3` emits.
A truncated value needs a way back to the full text, which `better-layout` owns.
## Natural case, typographic punctuation
Store text in natural case and set case with `text-transform`, so a redesign never means rewriting copy.
Rendered text uses typographic characters, never their keyboard stand-ins. Curly quotes, en dashes, the ellipsis character and non-breaking spaces are in the [substitution table](wrapping-and-punctuation.md#smart-punctuation). Code keeps straight quotes.
## Underlines from the font
Set `text-underline-position: from-font` and `text-decoration-thickness: from-font`, or tune `text-underline-offset` and thickness by hand. A dotted `text-decoration-style` hints that a word carries extra information, such as an abbreviation or a defined term. See the [underline recipes](details-and-accessibility.md#underlines).
Color is the only part of a real underline that animates reliably. Any other underline animation needs a separate element, and its motion is `better-ui`'s.
## Inputs at 16px on mobile
iOS Safari zooms the whole page when an input's text is smaller than `16px`. Two fixes hold `16px` and look different, so ask which one the design wants:
- Size the input up on mobile (`text-base sm:text-sm`). Changes how it looks on small screens.
- Keep `font-size: 16px` and render the intended size with `transform: scale()`. Identical at every viewport, more code to maintain.
Both recipes, plus placeholder and caret styling, are in [details-and-accessibility.md](details-and-accessibility.md#forms-and-editable-text).
## Size floors
Start long-form body text at `16px`, the browser default. Move off it only for a reason you can name, such as a typeface that runs small, a narrow measure or a dense professional tool.
UI text can go smaller. Start inputs and menus at `14px` and captions at `13px`, and rarely go below `12px`. Set `font-size` in [`rem`](spacing-and-sizing.md#units) so the reader's browser font size still applies.
## Font smoothing on the root
Apply `-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased` and `-moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale` once on the root, never per component. Tailwind's `antialiased` sets both.
## Language and bidi behavior
Set `lang` so browsers and assistive technology pick the right quotes, hyphenation and pronunciation. Set `dir` on the document and wherever direction changes. Wrap a mixed-direction value in `<bdi>` and never reorder digits by hand. How long paragraphs and numbers behave is in [wrapping-and-punctuation.md](wrapping-and-punctuation.md#internationalization).
## Trim text boxes in tight containers
In buttons and badges, the space a font reserves above and below its letters makes text sit low. `text-box: trim-both cap alphabetic` trims it as a progressive enhancement. See the [edges, keywords and support](spacing-and-sizing.md#text-trimming-with-text-box).
## Decorative text in CSS, not images
Build drop caps, gradient text, outlines and text shadows in CSS so the text stays selectable and searchable. The [properties and their support](details-and-accessibility.md#decorative-text) are in the reference.
## Keep useful text selectable
Keep text selectable by default. `::selection` can carry brand into the reading experience, as long as the selected combination stays legible. [Styling other ranges](details-and-accessibility.md#selection) such as search matches is in the reference.
`user-select: none` belongs on a draggable or gesture-driven surface where accidental selection interferes. Never across the interface and never because a button label can be highlighted.
## Before you finish
| Pattern | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| `font-weight` value with no matching weight in the loaded `@font-face` files | Load that face or use a weight the family ships |
| `font-synthesis: none` on body or interface text | Remove it; set only the unwanted longhand after checking the fallback stack |
| `font-variation-settings: "wght"` or `"opsz"` | `font-weight`; drop `"opsz"` so `font-optical-sizing: auto` applies |
| `font-feature-settings: "tnum"` or `"zero"` | `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` or `slashed-zero` |
| `line-height` in `px` or `rem` | A unitless value |
| `leading-none` or `leading-tight` on a description, card body or anything that can wrap | `1.4` or more |
| `letter-spacing` in `px` | The same value in `em` |
| Body `font-size` in `px` | `rem` |
| Weight `100`–`300` or `font-thin`, `font-light` on text under `18px` | `400` or heavier |
| `text-wrap: balance` on a paragraph | `text-wrap: pretty` |
| `text-align: justify` in application UI | `text-align: start` |
| `-webkit-line-clamp` without `display: -webkit-box` | Add `display: -webkit-box` and `-webkit-box-orient: vertical` |
| A timer, counter, price or numeric column without `tabular-nums` | `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` |
| `...`, `--` or a hyphenated range in rendered strings | `…`, an em dash or an en dash |
| `text-decoration-skip-ink: none` | Remove it; set `text-underline-offset` or `from-font` instead |
| `<input>` with `text-sm` or `14px` and no mobile override | One of the **Inputs at 16px on mobile** fixes |
| `-webkit-font-smoothing` or `antialiased` inside a component | Move it to the root |
| Mixed-direction value such as a name, number or URL without `<bdi>` or `dir` | Wrap it in `<bdi>` |
| `user-select: none` or `select-none` on a layout root or text container | Remove it; keep it only on a drag or gesture surface |
## Reporting
**Severity.** `HIGH` makes text unreadable, truncates content with no way back to it or clips text at 320px width or 200% zoom. The last two are `better-interface` escalation triggers, so they stay `HIGH` however minor the surface. `MEDIUM` breaks the type system or the visual heading hierarchy. `LOW` is isolated polish.
**Verification.** Without a browser, check declared size and weight per heading level, descending within each semantic section. Check declared line-height, units and measure. Check truncation rules against realistic string lengths. With one, compare computed values, then resize the viewport with real content to catch wrapping, lone last-line words and truncation. Report every check you could not run as `Not verified`.
**Format.** Group findings under the principle each violates, ordered by severity, one row per root cause listing every location it appears in:
| Severity | Location | Before | After | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
`Location` is `path/to/file:line`. `Why` names the principle and the user impact.
End with `Block` when any `HIGH` remains, `Approve` otherwise, leaving the rest in the table as work to do. Never `Approve` coverage you did not inspect. With nothing to report, state "No actionable typography findings" and report verification.
---
## Source and license
Source: [jakubkrehel/skills](https://github.com/jakubkrehel/skills/tree/60bf140e43c98b248e6594487384ec967e89d98a/skills/better-typography). Author: Jakub Krehel.
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jakub Krehel
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
