zero·style

Dictionary entry

measure

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The width of a block of text, judged by how many characters fit on one line. A comfortable measure (often around 45–75 characters) keeps reading easy; lines that are too wide or too narrow tire the eye.

Synonyms

  • line length

Related terms

In plain words

  • how wide a column of text is, in characters per line

Usage example

We capped the article's measure at about 66 characters so long paragraphs stay readable.

Don't confuse with…

  • leadingMeasure is how wide a line of text is; leading is the vertical space between the lines.

Categories

  • Typography

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Focus term

Directly related

Two hops away

  • Relatedmeasure related of leading
  • Relatedmeasure related of readability
  • Relatedmeasure related of reading order
  • Relatedleading related of baseline
  • Relatedreadability related of content design
  • Relatedreading order related of focus indicator
  • Relatedleading related of kerning
  • Relatedreading order related of keyboard navigation
  • Relatedreadability related of plain language
  • Relatedreadability related of scannability
  • Relatedreading order related of screen reader
  • Relatedleading related of tracking
  • Relatedleading related of x-height

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