legibility
The quality of being clear, distinct, and easy to read, particularly based on the physical appearance of text or symbols.
Legibility refers to the physical design of characters (e.g., font choice, contrast, size) that allows a reader to distinguish individual letters. It is distinct from 'readability', which refers to how easy the language or writing style is to understand.
Word relationships
- clarity: Clarity is a broad term meaning easy to see or understand, whereas legibility is restricted specifically to the ease of reading written characters.
- distinctness: Distinctness means being clearly separate or sharp, but does not specifically relate to reading or typography.
- illegibility: The state of being impossible or extremely difficult to read due to poor handwriting, bad printing, or poor design.
Commonly confused with
- readability: Legibility is how easily you can physically see and distinguish the letters; readability is how easily you can understand the vocabulary and sentence structure.
Word family
- legible (adjective): Clear enough to be read.
- legibly (adverb): In a clear and readable manner.
Collocations
- text legibility
- improve legibility
- font legibility
- poor legibility
Example sentences
- "The transportation department switched to a clean, sans-serif typeface to improve the legibility of highway signs at high speeds and in low-light conditions." A design audit of highway signage.
- "The app's low-contrast gray text on a white background severely compromised its legibility for elderly users." A review of a mobile application's user interface.
Memory hook
Think of 'legibility' as 'ledge-ability'. If text has good legibility, you can see every letter clearly, as if they are standing out on a ledge. Easy on the eyes.
When not to use
Do not use 'legibility' to describe a well-written, easy-to-understand essay. That is 'readability' or 'clarity'. Use 'legibility' strictly for the visual clarity of the text itself.
Fun facts
- The British motorway signs use a custom font called 'Transport', designed in the 1950s specifically to maximize legibility for drivers traveling at 70 miles per hour.
Explore more words
articulate, lucid, articulation, discern, enunciate, transparent
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