Serif vs sans serif
Serifs are the small feet at the ends of strokes. Toggle them on and off below to see what they change — and what they don’t.
The short answer
| Serif | Sans serif | |
|---|---|---|
| Stroke ends | Finished with small strokes | Plain |
| Contrast | Usually thick and thin strokes | Usually even strokes |
| Feels | Traditional, literary, authoritative | Modern, neutral, direct |
| Famous examples | Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia, Baskerville | Helvetica, Arial, Futura, Gill Sans |
| Typical uses | Books, newspapers, long-form articles | Interfaces, signage, captions, small text |
Is one more readable?
It’s the most repeated claim in typography, and the evidence is thin. Reviews of the research, such as Alex Poole’s widely cited literature review, found no consistent readability advantage for either at normal print sizes. What does matter: a comfortable size, generous x-height, open letter shapes, enough line spacing and a line length of roughly 45–75 characters.
Where the difference is real
- Very small or low-resolution text: fine serifs can blur, so sans serifs are safer for UI labels and captions.
- Tone: serifs lean traditional and editorial; sans serifs lean contemporary and utilitarian.
- Hierarchy: pairing one of each gives an instant visual distinction between headings and text. Try it in the pairing generator.
Subtypes of each
Serifs divide into old style, transitional, Didone, slab and glyphic; sans serifs into grotesque, geometric and humanist. See all of them with examples in types of fonts.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between serif and sans serif?
Serif fonts have small finishing strokes (serifs) at the ends of letters, like Times New Roman or Garamond. Sans serif fonts (“sans” is French for “without”) have plain stroke ends, like Helvetica or Arial.
Is serif or sans serif easier to read?
Studies comparing them at normal reading sizes have found little or no consistent difference. Size, x-height, spacing, line length and familiarity have a bigger effect. Sans serifs do tend to hold up better at very small sizes on low-resolution screens.
Is Times New Roman serif or sans serif?
Serif. Times New Roman is a transitional serif designed for The Times of London in 1932.
Is Arial serif or sans serif?
Sans serif. Arial is a neo-grotesque sans serif designed by Monotype in 1982 with the same widths as Helvetica.
Which should I use for a résumé?
Either works if it’s clean and readable at 10–12pt. Classic serifs (Garamond, Georgia) feel traditional; sans serifs (Calibri, Lato, Source Sans) feel modern. Consistency and white space matter more.