line length
How far across
Line length is the number of characters or words in a single line of text.
In typography and design, line length affects readability—lines too long tire the eye, while lines too short disrupt flow.
Optimal line length for body text typically falls between 45 and 75 characters.
In poetry, line length is a deliberate formal choice.
In programming, style guides often impose maximum line lengths: Keep lines under 80 characters.
- enjambmentUnpaused verse continuation
- meterDevice that measures usage
- segmentDistinct part of whole
- syllable countNumber of word segments
- verse formPoetry's structural template
stanza · couplet · distance · quatrain · whitespace · free verse · margin · blank verse · readability · rhythm · octave · short lines · long lines · font size · cadence · indentation · caesura · alignment
line lengtharea
Extent of surface
volume · surface area · square footage · breadth · depth
line lengthline spacing
Distance between text rows
leading · column width · character count · word count · paragraph length