Serif fonts

Serifs are small strokes added to the ends of larger strokes or stems. Serif typefaces are traditionally associated with reading, and so they’re popular for books, magazines, and newspapers. But they now come in so many shapes, styles, and weights that many serif typefaces work beautifully in display settings too. If you’re looking for a specific style of serif, like slab serifs or hairline, for example, then head over to CEDARS serifs. Or take a look at other popular serif sub-categories, like Modern or Didone, Old Style, Transitional, Fat Face, or Western. You’ll also find great serif fonts in our Fonts for Books expert list.

Questions about serif fonts

Are serif fonts only for text?
Although serif fonts are very readable for text, there are thousands that make great display fonts too. Just look at the curated list of fonts above to see the huge variety in serif fonts.

Should I avoid serifs for UI?
Although there might be times when a serif typeface is appropriate for UI copy, sans serifs are usually preferred — especially on smaller or mobile screens.

What’s the difference between display and text serif fonts?
Often a larger superfamily includes text and display variants of the same design. The display version usually exhibits higher contrast and so they look great when set at larger sizes for things like titles and headigs, or for use on a poster. The Text version is, as its name suggests, designed with lower contrast (and sometimes different letter-spacing), and they’re optimized for fopnt sizes we typeically read in.