Fonts similar to Tahoma
4 free Google Fonts that share Tahoma’s structure, compared side by side. Type your own text to test them.
About Tahoma
Verdana’s narrower sibling, with tighter spacing; long used as a Windows UI font.
How to spot it
- Humanist forms like Verdana, but narrower
- Tight letter spacing
- Large x-height
- Distinct I, l and 1
Not sure it’s really Tahoma? Upload a screenshot and let the identifier check. Looking for a different font? Use the similar font finder.
Free alternatives to Tahoma
Tahoma Quartz 1234
Humanist with comparable width and clarity.
View on Google Fonts ↗Tahoma Quartz 1234
Neutral humanist for UI.
View on Google Fonts ↗Tahoma Quartz 1234
Sturdy humanist screen font.
View on Google Fonts ↗Tahoma Quartz 1234
Open, legible humanist.
View on Google Fonts ↗Choosing between them
Start with PT Sans if you need the most faithful substitute. Humanist with comparable width and clarity. If you want the same feeling with a little more personality, try Open Sans. For body text, check the specimen at 16–18px: some display-leaning alternatives look closest in headlines but tire the eye in paragraphs.
Pairing one of these with a contrasting serif or sans? Open it in the font pairing generator.
Questions people ask
What is the closest free font to Tahoma?
PT Sans is the closest free alternative in our list: humanist with comparable width and clarity. Other good options are Noto Sans and Istok Web.
What kind of font is Tahoma?
Tahoma is a humanist sans. Proportions from handwriting: open apertures, slight stroke contrast, angled terminals, a true italic.
How can I tell Tahoma apart from lookalikes?
Check these details: humanist forms like verdana, but narrower; tight letter spacing; large x-height; distinct i, l and 1.
Are these Tahoma alternatives free for commercial use?
Yes. All alternatives listed are Google Fonts released under open licences (SIL Open Font License or Apache 2.0) that allow commercial use.