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Leading

Printing
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The vertical space inserted between lines of type. It affects readability and the visual openness of a poem.

Detailed Definition
Leading, named for the strips of lead once placed between lines of metal type, determines the distance from one baseline of text to the next. In poetry printing, leading can shape the reader's sense of pace, silence, and relation among stanzas. Tight leading may make a dense poem feel compressed, while generous leading can preserve the force of isolated lines or visual pauses. It is a typographic choice with interpretive as well as practical consequences.
Example
Example in poetry:
Leading is the vertical space inserted between lines of type, named for the strips of lead once used to create it; A poem with wide leading gives each short line room to breathe and makes its pauses visually clear; Tight leading may suit a dense prose poem, but it can make enjambment harder for readers to follow; A designer might increase the leading for a poem with descenders and ascenders so neighboring lines do not visually collide
Additional Notes
Leading, pronounced “ledding,” comes from the strips of lead once placed between lines of metal type. Generous leading can give poem lines air, while tight leading can create intensity or compression.
Also Known As
Line Leading Line Spacing
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