You can also select the Home tab in the Ribbon and select the dialog box launcher on the bottom right corner of the Font group or right-click in the text and select Font from the drop-down menu.
Recommended article: How to Check Word Count in Microsoft Word (4 Ways) Depending on the font, certain characters may seem to be spaced too far apart. Specific characters or letter pairs are spaced closer together and some are spaced farther apart. When a font designer creates a font or typeface, spacing between characters is integrated into the font by default. You have the option of turning on automatic kerning or you can manually control kerning by expanding or condensing spacing. Kerning can be used in Microsoft Word to increase or decrease the spacing between characters. Subscribe to get more articles like this oneĭid you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, join our email list.Applying Kerning Automatically or Manually in Word to Control Character Spacingīy Avantix Learning Team | Updated December 28, 2021Īpplies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 (Windows) You also should avoid text being too loose or too tight as the text can be difficult to read for those with vision impairments or cognitive disabilities. It's typically a better idea to expand text rather than condense it. In some other programs, this type of spacing is called tracking. The Font dialog box appears as follows with options for Normal, Expanded or Condensed spacing: In the By box to the right of spacing, click the up or down arrows to increase or decrease the amount, in points, by which the text is expanded or condensed.Beside Spacing, select Expanded (to increase the space between characters) or Condensed (to decrease the space between characters) from the drop-down menu.Deselect or uncheck the Kerning for fonts check box.
To adjust spacing between characters manually, you will need to change Spacing settings:
The Font dialog box appears as follows with Kerning for fonts (automatic kerning) turned on:Īpplying manual kerning using expanded or condensed spacing Kerning will be applied to fonts of the selected size and above. You can also click the up or down arrows to choose a font size.
Applying Kerning Automatically or Manually in Word to Control Character Spacingīy Avantix Learning Team | Updated December 28, 2021Īpplies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 (Windows)