Choosing the right font sizes is the key to making sure your text is easy to read and scan so visitors can easily find the information you want them to see. I am here to tell you that 6 total font sizes are all you need to achieve the website look you need to keep your visitors engaged and reading the content of your websites.

How Many Font Sizes Should a Website Have?

When designing a website, you only need six font sizes. 1 is for your base size or body font (usually 16px), 1 is for your heading 1, 1 is for your heading 2, and 1 is for your heading 3. The last two are for a large text and a smaller text (usually a few sizes larger and smaller than the default base size).

Let’s see what that looks like.

1. Base Font Size: The Main Body Font

The base font size is the most important one. It’s for the body text on your website. It sets the basis of all the other fonts.

A good practice is to choose a base font size between 16 and 18 pixels. This size usually gives a nice reading experience for most people.

To improve readability, make sure your body text has a comfortable line height. Line height is the space between lines of text. This spacing helps people scan and read the content more easily.

A good line height is usually somewhere in the range of 1.5em.

Pro tip: When sizing your fonts, always use EM or REM values. This will make sure your fonts stay responsive at all times. The base font should be in pixels

The Three Main Header Font Sizes

2. Heading 1 (H1): Establishing the Main Idea

The heading 1 (H1) is the most important text element on your website or landing page. It grabs visitors’ attention and establishes the primary focus of the content.

The font size for H1 should be the largest on the page, creating a clear visual hierarchy and enhancing readability. This prominence not only ensures a user-friendly design but also helps communicate the main idea effectively.

3. Heading 2 (H2): Supporting Ideas and Sections

Heading 2 (H2) serves as the second most important text element, typically used for supporting ideas and structuring sections.

To maintain consistency across all font sizes, it’s recommended to use a type scale, which ensures proportional font sizes across all headings and text.

H2 should be slightly smaller than H1, with enough contrast to distinguish between different levels of hierarchy. This contrast improves readability, especially on various screen sizes, and contributes to a cohesive design.

4. Heading 3 (H3): Detailing Subsections

Heading 3 (H3) is used for detailing subsections, helping to organize content into manageable chunks.

The font size for H3 should be smaller than H2 but still larger than the body text. Consistency in font size and spacing across sections is essential for maintaining a clean, structured layout.

Clear size differentiation guides readers through the content smoothly, improving their experience.

Adequate line spacing further enhances readability, contributing to a balanced, user-friendly design.

5. Big Text: Highlighting Key Points

The big text is used for highlighting important points. It helps to direct attention to key parts of your pages. When used wisely, big text can boost the overall effect of your site.

To use big text in the best way, keep it limited. Using too much big text can confuse users and lessen its impact.

Here are some good ways to use big text in your web design:

• Highlight main points or numbers to make them noticeable.
• Make calls to action stand out to encourage people to engage.
• Create eye-catching introductions for sections to grab attention (like testimonials or reviews).

6. Small Text: Fine Print and Additional Details

Small text is important in web design. You can use it for things like disclaimers, copyright notices, and legal info. While these details are necessary, they shouldn’t take attention away from the main content.

It is very important to make sure small text is easy to read. Check that the font size is big enough to read comfortably. A font size that is a bit smaller than the main text size usually works well for small text.

If you find your small text hard to read, try to make it better. You could make the font weight bolder or increase the line height to help with readability.

The Role of Font Size in Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is key. A clear visual hierarchy makes text easier to read, and understand and keeps users engaged.

A study conducted indicated that most visitors don’t read your content, but rather scan it. If there is no visual hierarchy to guide the visitor to the important section on a page, your website might just be disregarded.

The bigger the font, the more attention it grabs. These will always be your headings. So make sure you put the most important information in your headings. And use the body text to reinforce that information.

Don’t forget the visually impaired. By choosing accessible font sizes, you help make your site easier to use and more inclusive for everyone.

Best Practices for Selecting Font Sizes

Choosing the right font sizes is both a skill and a thought process. You need to think about many things, such as how easy the text is to read, how it looks, and how accessible it is for everyone.

The easiest way to select font sizes is by using a type scale generator ⇒

Consistency is Key: Maintaining Font Size Harmony

When you use a few font sizes and follow a set scale, your website feels more organized and appealing.

As a rule of thumb, try to use no more than 3 or 4 different type sizes. This should include headings, subheadings, body text, and other text parts.

Responsiveness: Adapting Font Sizes for Different Devices

With the proliferation of devices with different screen sizes, ensuring responsiveness in your web design is crucial. This means that your website should adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

When it comes to font sizes, responsiveness means adjusting the size of your text to ensure optimal readability across different devices. For instance, a font size that looks great on a large desktop monitor might be too small to read comfortably on a smartphone screen.

Here’s a sample text table showcasing font size adjustments for different devices:

Device Category	Screen Width (pixels)	Example Font Size (px)
Desktop	1024+	16
Tablet	768 – 1023	15
Mobile	320 – 767	14

One simple way of ensuring font size responsiveness across all viewports is by using a simple clamp() calculation. You can apply this to all of your font sizes including the base font.

Here is what that would look like:

Heading 1: clamp(2.441rem, 1.525rem + 4.070vw, 3.815rem)

Heading 2: clamp(1.953rem, 1.221rem + 3.256vw, 3.052rem)

Heading 3: clamp(1.563rem, 0.977rem + 2.604vw, 2.441rem)

Big text: clamp(0.800rem, 0.500rem + 1.333vw, 1.250rem)

Base font: 16px

Small text: clamp(0.640rem, 0.533rem + 0.474vw, 0.800rem)

These values are based on the Major Third typography scale.

Conclusion

In conclusion, font size is very important for the user experience of your website. When you choose and use the right font sizes for headings, paragraphs, and key points, you can make your content easier to scan. This helps guide visitors through your important information.

It’s also vital to keep font sizes consistent and responsive on different devices for better user engagement using type scales for consistency and clamp values for responsiveness.

Focus on these font size essentials to enhance the look, usability, and overall experience of your websites.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ideal base font size for website design?

A good rule of thumb is to start with a font size of 16px or 1em. This size is the default for most browsers and makes reading body text easy. However, the best font size can change based on the font family and how the website is designed.

What is the best font size for a website?

The best font size for a website should focus on readability, user experience, and accessibility. You should think about the font family, the type of content, and the audience you want to reach. Using a base font size of about 16px is a typical choice. This helps keep the text easy to read on different devices.

How many font sizes for a website?

The best number of font sizes for a website is usually six in total. But the number can change based on the design and complexity of the web pages.