Section 6 · Typography

Leading (Line Spacing)

Definition

The vertical distance between the baselines of consecutive lines of text, measured in points. Pronounced “ledding,” after the strips of lead once placed between lines of metal type.

Why it matters

Leading controls how a block of text breathes: too tight and lines tangle and slow the reader; too loose and lines drift apart into disconnected stripes. It is the single biggest lever on readability after type size.

Example

A common starting point for body text is leading around 120–145% of the type size — roughly 15–17pt of leading on 12pt text.

Not to be confused with

Type size — leading is the space between lines, not the height of the letters. The two are set independently, e.g. “12/16” means 12pt type on 16pt leading.