📐 Letter Spacing Guide Calculator

Add the width of each letter (from a practice sheet or your own lettering samples) and a consistent spacing gap to estimate total word width — handy for planning layouts before you commit ink to paper.

Spacing between letters (mm)

Four letters, three gaps

The tool adds your letter widths and then adds one gap for each join. A word of n letters has n−1 gaps, never n, because nothing follows the last letter:

total width = Σ letter widths + (n − 1) × gap

5 + 4 + 6 + 5 = 20 mm     3 gaps × 1 mm = 3 mm     total 23.0 mm

Those are the four widths the page starts with. Widen the gap to 2 mm and the total goes to 26.0 mm, not 28.0. Eleven letters averaging 5.5 mm with 1 mm gaps make 60.5 + 10 = 70.5 mm, which fits a 75 mm panel with 2 mm to spare each side.

Measuring the widths

Take widths off your own written sample, at the nib and x-height you will use. Every new row you add starts at 5 mm, which is a placeholder, not a suggestion.
The gap is a single constant here. Calligraphers space by eye to equalise the white area between strokes, so a real o o pair sits tighter than a real l l pair. Use the average gap from your sample and treat the answer as a planning width.

Arithmetic sets the plan; ink and paper set the outcome. A wet nib on unsized paper spreads each stroke, widening every letter and closing the gaps, so a word measured on layout paper can run 2–3 mm wider on the finished sheet. Trial it on the real stock.

Frequently asked questions

How do I work out how wide a word will be?

Add the letter widths, then add the gap once for every join. Eight letters need seven gaps, so 8 letters of 6 mm with 1.5 mm gaps come to 48 + 10.5 = 58.5 mm.

How much space should there be between calligraphy letters?

Enough that the white inside a letter and the white between letters look equal. That is roughly a stem width for upright hands and less for round pairs, which is why spacing is judged by eye.

Does the gap get added after the last letter?

No. Four letters produce three gaps, so the default 5, 4, 6, 5 with a 1 mm gap totals 23.0 mm rather than 24.0. Adding a row raises the total by that letter's width plus one gap.