Kerning refers to which spacing adjustment?

• A. Controls the space between two specific characters
• B. Controls the space between lines of type
• C. Sets the amount of space between a range of characters
• D. A variation on a typeface, such as bold, italics, or normal

Answer: (A)

Kerning is the adjustment of the horizontal space between two specific characters to achieve visually balanced spacing. It’s used to fix awkward gaps or crowding that can occur where particular letter pairs interact, such as A and V, where their shapes create unevenness if left at default spacing. This differs from tracking, which changes spacing over a range of characters or an entire word, and from leading, which controls vertical space between lines. It also isn’t about font style variations like bold or italics, which change appearance rather than the spacing between two glyphs.