How to identify a font
Identifying a typeface is detective work: first narrow it to a classification, then compare a handful of tell-tale letters. The key below walks you through it.
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1. Get the cleanest sample you can
Crop to one line of text, straighten it, and keep the letters large. A word with varied letters (“Grafique” beats “ooo”) gives far more clues. If the text is on a website, skip guessing entirely: right-click it, choose Inspect, and read the font-family in the Computed panel.
Short on time? Our AI font identifier does the steps below automatically and explains which clues it used.
2. Classify it
Almost every typeface falls into one of about ten classes (see types of fonts). The first split is serif or sans serif; after that, stroke contrast and the angle of stress separate old-style from transitional and Didone serifs, while the shape of the “o” separates geometric from grotesque and humanist sans.
3. Compare the diagnostic letters
Lookalikes differ in details. Helvetica and Arial share widths, but Arial’s R has a straight diagonal leg and its terminals are cut at an angle. Futura has needle-sharp apexes; Century Gothic doesn’t. Pick a letter below and watch how different classes draw it.
4. Check the details that give fonts away
| Feature | What to look at | Separates |
|---|---|---|
| Stress | Where the “o” is thinnest: diagonal or vertical | Old style vs transitional/Didone |
| Contrast | Difference between thick and thin strokes | Didone vs everything else |
| Aperture | How open the gaps in c, e, s and a are | Humanist (open) vs grotesque (closed) |
| Terminals | Stroke ends: flat, angled, ball, teardrop | Helvetica vs Arial; Didones |
| x-height | Height of lowercase compared with capitals | Futura (low) vs Verdana (high) |
| Storeys | One- or two-storey a and g | Geometric vs grotesque |
5. Find the file (or a free alternative)
Once you have a name, check whether it’s commercial. Designers often can’t license the exact face, so we keep a list of free alternatives to famous fonts from Google Fonts.
Fonts in PDFs, apps and images
- PDF: Acrobat’s File › Properties › Fonts lists embedded fonts, including subset names.
- Word or Google Docs: click the text; the font menu shows it, unless the font is missing and substituted.
- Photo or poster: photograph straight on in good light, then crop and upload to the identifier.
- Logo: many logos are custom-drawn; aim for the closest typeface rather than an exact match.
Questions people ask
What is the fastest way to identify a font?
Upload a clean screenshot to an AI font identifier such as FontMatch’s home page. If the result is uncertain, classify the type with the key on this page and compare the diagnostic letters a, g, R, Q and t.
How do I find out what font a website uses?
Right-click the text, choose Inspect, and look at the Computed tab for font-family and the Fonts section (Firefox) or Rendered Fonts (Chrome). That shows the exact font the browser rendered, which beats guessing from an image.
How do I identify a font in a PDF?
In Adobe Acrobat or Reader open File › Properties › Fonts to see every embedded font. On macOS Preview, use Tools › Show Inspector › Fonts tab. Subset names like “ABCDEF+Gotham-Book” still reveal the family.
Why can’t I find the exact font?
The text may be custom lettering, a modified font, a rare commercial face, or distorted by perspective and compression. In those cases the best outcome is a close substitute in the same classification.
Which letters are best for identifying a font?
Lowercase a, g, e, t and y and capitals R, Q, G, J and M vary the most between typefaces. Numbers such as 1, 2, 4 and 7 are also useful.