Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.
It is, however, much easier to read when the letters are in the correct order.
On paper it’s easier to read serif fonts, because the serifs help the letters blend together and it is physically easier on the eyes and brain. But sans serif fonts seem to be the preference on the web. Times remains the most popular print typeface, but it was designed to fit as many letters on to a page as possible – but still remain legible. The subtleties of the font don’t translate well to pixels, and the proportions of the letters can cause problems.
There’s more about web typography at Webmonkey.
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Check out the new menu that shows Recent Comments. If you don’t see yourself there, well, you’re just slack, aren’t ya!
Also new… I’ve worked out how to do macrons – these change the meaning of some words in Māori. If you don’t see a line above the a in Māori then let me know and I will sigh and shake my head in frustration.
Thanks to Iona for the tips.
Posted by Fionnaigh at September 15, 2003 07:15 PMGood try, but the macron appeared above an empty space after the letter. Grrrr. So irritating. Having the same thing at work at the moment. I's understandable, though, seeing as how we live in England.
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