Controlling Space between Words

FAQ

Is line-height in CSS the same as leading?

Yes. In the print-publishing game, leading is the name for the amount of space between lines of type. In the olden days, when print-shop apprentices needed extra space between lines of type, they physically inserted thin lead plugs. The lead plugs are long gone in modern, electronic typesetting, but the name remains.

Another way to improve legibility, particularly when you work with small type sizes, is to increase the amount of space between words, as in Figure 49.4.

Figure 49.4. Just three pixels of extra word spacing make the paragraph on the left easier to read.

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