Typeface phonetics – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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How do you pronounce ‘Helvetica’?

Fonts (opentype.info)
Fonts (opentype.info)
Fonts (opentype.info)

It’s on a par with the recent revelation that GIF should be pronounced “JIF”: most of us don’t actually know how to properly enunciate the names of our favorite fonts. That’s what becomes rapidly apparent when you start perusing Ralf Herrmann’s list of proper typeface name pronunciations. The typeface designer has assembled recordings of some of the more popular titles being spoken in their original European language. Thus, Frutiger doesn’t actually rhyme with “tiger,” and in spite of all appearances to the contrary, there’s no “s” sound in Univers. As to Apple’s perennial favorite, Helvetica, you can find its pronunciation embedded below (as part of “Neue Helvetica”).

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