kerning

American  

[kur-ning] / ˈkɜr nɪŋ /

noun

Printing.

1. the setting of two letters closer together than is usual by removing space between them.

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kerning British  

/ ˈkɜːnɪŋ /

noun

1. printing the adjustment of space between the letters of words to improve the appearance of text matter

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Etymology

Origin of kerning

First recorded in 1675–85; kern ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The finishing airbrushing of an illo, the final tweak or kerning of an art headline, was important to him.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2022

The type setting and irregular kerning in the names, the texture in the title, the studio photography in an exterior setting — it’s all off.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2020

Something about its kerning recalls the Old West, but the font could be on the menu of a subway-tiled nouveau-barbecue joint in Austin or the business card of a tech entrepreneur at South by Southwest.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 2, 2019

“The typeface, the colors, and the kerning was better on the Barack Obama T-Shirt,” wrote designers Marieke Stolk, Erwin Brinkers and Danny van den Dungen in a joint email to TIME.

From Time • Aug. 26, 2016

To turn from blossom to fruit: the process of turning from blossom to fruit is called kerning.

From The Dialect of the West of England; Particularly Somersetshire by Jennings, James