Leading (Line Height)

Leading (rhymes with 'bedding') is the vertical space between lines of text, named after the strips of lead placed between lines of metal type in traditional printing. In CSS, it's expressed as line-height. The ideal leading for body text is typically 1.5 to 1.75 times the font size (line-height: 1.5 to 1.75). Headings need less — usually 1.1 to 1.3. Too little leading makes text feel cramped and hard to read. Too much breaks the visual connection between lines. The optimal value depends on the font's x-height, line length, and font size.