When the WA pair is kerned, the space between the letters is decreased such that the end of each letter without the serif matches up with the end of the serif of the other letter. Note that the font above (Georgia) has a serif (that small line at the ends of each letter). Through kerning, the space between the W and A can be decreased, as in the following picture. The W and A blocks force a minimum separation, unless kerning is applied.
The process of typing generally creates each letter in its own little block.
The W is slanting toward the A, which slants away from the W. Inconsistent spacing between letters arises from the shape of the letters. If you look closely, you will see a noticeable gap in the pair WA, while the letters TE are nearly touching. For example, consider the word WATER written in uppercase letters. Kerning is the art of adjusting the spacing between individual letters in order to improve visual appeal.Ĭertain pairs of letters can be especially problematic. The spacing between letters sometimes doesn’t look quite right to the eye.
