Categories
In CSS, there are five generic font families defined, and each family represents a category of fonts. The generic font families are used as fallback options when a specific font is not available on a user's system or browser. These generic font families provide a level of consistency in font rendering across different devices and platforms.
The five generic font families are:
-
Serif: The
seriffont family represents fonts with serifs, which are small decorative lines or strokes at the ends of the characters. Serif fonts are commonly used for body text in print materials.Example:
font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; -
Sans-serif: The
sans-seriffont family represents fonts without serifs. These fonts have a cleaner and more modern appearance and are commonly used for digital content.Example:
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; -
Monospace: The
monospacefont family represents fonts where each character occupies the same amount of horizontal space. Monospaced fonts are often used for code snippets or when a fixed-width layout is required.Example:
font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; -
Cursive: The
cursivefont family represents fonts that mimic handwriting or cursive script. These fonts often have a more flowing and decorative appearance.Example:
font-family: "Lucida Handwriting", cursive; -
Fantasy: The
fantasyfont family represents decorative or artistic fonts that don't fit into the other generic families. These fonts are unique and may not be suitable for long blocks of text.Example:
font-family: "Papyrus", fantasy;
When using font families in CSS, it's a good practice to include a fallback list of fonts to ensure that if the preferred font is not available, the browser will attempt to use the subsequent fonts in the list. For example:
/* Example with font-family and fallback options */
h1 {
font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;
}
In this example, the preferred font is "Open Sans." If "Open Sans" is not available, the browser will try to use "Arial" next. If "Arial" is not available either, it will fall back to the default sans-serif font on the user's system.
By using generic font families and providing fallback options, you can create a more consistent and accessible experience for your website visitors, even if they don't have the specific fonts installed on their devices.