FONTS FOR THE WEB

To keep things simple on the Web, unless you are using web-based fonts like Google Fonts, use only the 13 fonts listed below for website body copy. These fonts come from the W3C's Web Safe Font Combinations page.

These are fonts that everyone has on their computers; if you try to use other fonts, your Mac customers may not have the PC fonts you are using, or your PC customers may not have the Mac fonts you are using, leaving you with a website whose appearance is nothing like you intended.

Note: Georgia uses oldstyle numbers rather than lining numbers; this can give a very elegant look to a website, but won't work as well in tables and number lists.

Readability of 16px type on the Web

At the same pixel size, the physical sizes of the fonts below are very different. Keep this in mind when designing; if your fonts aren't available on your user's computer, default fonts could dramatically alter how your site looks to them. (How this list looks to you depends on the fonts active on your computer; if you don't have a font installed, it will likely display in Courier.)

Times / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Georgia / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Arial / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

'Arial Black' / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Helvetica / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande' / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Tahoma, Geneva / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Impact / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

'Trebuchet MS' / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Verdana / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

Courier / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890

'Comic Sans MS', ComicSansMS / 16px
Vix quinquennalis suis neglegenter conubium santet parsimonia cathedras, quod perspicax fiducias agnascor Octavius, ut plane utilitas zothecas insectat gulosus rures. Verecundus cathedras vocificat gulosus chirographi, utcunque Medusa circumgrediet quinquennalis catelli. Cathedras amputat catelli. 1234567890