Expletus Sans

display · Designed by Designtown

Expletus Sans: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Available weights

Instant CSS & Tailwind Generator

Snippet updates automatically to match whichever weight you select above.

Get this font on Google Fonts

What do I do with this?

Just want to use the font? Click "Get this font on Google Fonts" to download it or add it directly to a document, design tool (like Canva or Photoshop), or your computer's font list.

Building a website? Click "Copy Font Code" to copy a short snippet, then paste it into your website's HTML (usually inside the <head> section) to use this font on your site.

Expletus Sans is a display typeface with an open, airy construction built around incomplete letterforms where strokes are deliberately left unfinished or cut off. This gives it a distinctive geometric skeleton with a casual, unfinished quality that still reads as intentional and controlled. The letterforms are wide and spaced generously, lending it a confident, modern presence without feeling aggressive. Its personality sits somewhere between editorial sophistication and approachable creativity, making it feel distinct without being difficult to read at larger sizes.

In practice, Expletus Sans works well as a primary wordmark or logo typeface for creative studios, agencies, or lifestyle brands that want something recognizable without leaning on overly conventional letterforms. It suits large editorial headings in magazines or digital publications where a single impactful word or short phrase needs to carry visual weight. It also fits naturally in event branding, poster design, or section headers on marketing websites where the unusual letterforms can do the work of attracting attention without additional graphic elements.

Best suited for: Consider Expletus Sans for distinctive wordmarks, editorial headlines, event posters, and creative branding where unconventional letterforms enhance visual impact without compromising legibility.

Design considerations: The incomplete stroke construction and generous spacing create strong visual presence at display sizes, supported by eight weight and italic variants for flexible typographic hierarchy. Its geometric skeleton and casual-yet-controlled personality work best when given adequate space and scale to showcase the distinctive letterform details.

Pairing guidance: Pair Expletus Sans with Raleway as a refined sans-serif complement for body text and secondary information, Lora as a serif alternative for editorial contexts requiring traditional warmth, or Josefin Sans as a geometric sans-serif option that echoes the display typeface's modern sensibility while maintaining readability at smaller sizes.

Pairs well with

Raleway Lora Josefin Sans

Expletus Sans at a glance

Designer

Designtown

License

SIL Open Font License 1.1

Added to Google Fonts

May 2011

Last updated

September 2025

Styles

8 (4 weights + italics)

Variable font

Yes: weight 400–700

Classification

Display

Character sets

2

Distributed via

Google Fonts

All 8 Expletus Sans styles

Weight Name Upright Italic
400 Regular Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
500 Medium Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
600 SemiBold Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
700 Bold Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123

Expletus Sans character map

Uppercase

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lowercase

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Numbers and punctuation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? & @ # % $ € £ ( ) [ ] { } . , : ; " ' - / * + =

Latin Extended (sample)

Ā Ă Ą Ć Č Ď Đ Ē Ę Ě Ğ Ī Į İ Ĺ Ľ Ł Ń Ň Ő Œ Ř Ś Ş Š Ť Ů Ű Ź Ż Ž

Which languages does Expletus Sans support?

Expletus Sans includes 2 character sets:

  • Latin: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and other Western European languages
  • Latin Extended: Central and Eastern European languages such as Polish, Czech, Turkish, Romanian and Hungarian

It does not include Cyrillic or Greek characters, so it can't set Russian, Ukrainian or Greek text.

Can I use Expletus Sans commercially?

Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Expletus Sans is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. You can use it in logos, websites, apps, videos, printed products and merchandise without paying or asking permission. The one thing you can't do is sell the font file on its own.

Fonts similar to Expletus Sans

Expletus Sans FAQ

Is Expletus Sans free for commercial use?

Yes. Expletus Sans is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, so you can use it in commercial projects, including logos, client work and products you sell.

Which weights does Expletus Sans include?

Expletus Sans includes 4 weights, from Regular (400) to Bold (700), each with a matching italic, for 8 styles in total. It's also a variable font, so any weight between 400 and 700 is available.

Does Expletus Sans support Cyrillic?

No. Expletus Sans supports Latin and Latin Extended, but not Cyrillic.

Who designed Expletus Sans?

Expletus Sans was designed by Designtown. It was added to Google Fonts in May 2011.