Tracking Should Scale with Size and Purpose
Tracking adjusts the uniform gap between letters, and the basic rule is tighter as font size grows, looser as it shrinks. Large text makes the gaps between letters look bigger too, so tightening keeps it balanced; small text visually compresses those gaps, so loosening it improves readability.
This guide takes font size and usage purpose (headline, body, caption, all-caps) and applies font size × purpose-specific em value to recommend tracking in both em and px.
Tracking Rules by Purpose
Large headlines at 32px and above should tighten slightly to around -0.02em to look dense and stable. General body text at 14-18px does fine at the default (0em), while small captions and labels at 10-13px need about +0.02em so tiny letters don't crowd together.
All-Caps Is the Exception
All-caps headlines need at least +0.08em regardless of size. Uppercase letters have more uniform, boxy widths than lowercase, so default tracking tends to look cramped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Larger font sizes make the visual gaps between letters look bigger too, so tightening keeps it visually balanced.
Uppercase letters look cramped due to their boxy shape and reduced whitespace, so widening by 5-10% keeps it stable.