Literata

serif · Designed by TypeTogether

Literata: Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow

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Literata is a serif typeface designed specifically for extended reading on screens, developed by TypeTogether for Google Play Books. It has a sturdy, humanist structure with moderate contrast between thick and thin strokes, making it feel grounded without being rigid. The letterforms carry a slightly literary quality — think polished book typography rather than newspaper or academic — with optical sizing adjustments that help it hold up at both small and large sizes. It reads as warm and reliable rather than decorative, with enough personality to feel intentional but not enough to distract from the content.

Literata works well in digital editorial contexts such as longform articles, blog posts, and online magazines where extended readability is the priority. It is also a strong candidate for e-reader applications and content-heavy mobile interfaces where serif legibility at small sizes matters. On the branding side, it suits publishers, educational platforms, and cultural organizations that want a typographic identity rooted in authority and approachability rather than trendiness. It is less suited to high-impact display work or tech startups going for a minimal sans-serif aesthetic.

Best suited for: Extended reading experiences including longform articles, e-books, digital magazines, and content-heavy interfaces where serif legibility and sustained engagement are priorities.

Design considerations: The extensive weight range from 200 to 900 with matching italics supports flexible typographic hierarchy across editorial layouts and responsive designs. Moderate stroke contrast and humanist proportions maintain readability at both display and text sizes, making it adaptable across screen contexts.

Pairing guidance: Pair Literata with Playfair Display for editorial layouts where a contrasting display serif adds visual hierarchy to headlines, Source Sans 3 for clean interface elements and supplementary text that benefits from sans-serif clarity, and DM Mono for code blocks, data, or technical content requiring monospace distinction.

Pairs well with

Playfair Display Source Sans 3 DM Mono

Literata at a glance

Designer

TypeTogether

License

SIL Open Font License 1.1

Added to Google Fonts

December 2018

Last updated

September 2025

Styles

16 (8 weights + italics)

Variable font

Yes: optical size 7–72, weight 200–900

Classification

Serif

Character sets

7

Distributed via

Google Fonts

All 16 Literata styles

Weight Name Upright Italic
200 ExtraLight Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
300 Light Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
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
800 ExtraBold Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123
900 Black Aa Bb Gg 123 Aa Bb Gg 123

Literata 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 ! ? & @ # % $ € £ ( ) [ ] { } . , : ; " ' - / * + =

Cyrillic (sample)

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я а б в г д е ж з и й к л м н

Cyrillic Extended (sample)

Ґ Є Ї Ў Ғ Қ Ң Ү Ұ Һ Ә Ө

Greek (sample)

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ

Greek Extended (sample)

ἀ ἁ ἂ ἃ ἄ ἅ ἆ ἇ ὰ ά ἐ ἑ ὲ έ

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

Vietnamese (sample)

Ạ Ả Ấ Ầ Ẩ Ẫ Ậ Ắ Ằ Ặ Ẹ Ẻ Ẽ Ế Ề Ệ Ỉ Ị Ọ Ỏ Ố Ồ Ộ Ơ Ớ Ờ Ụ Ủ Ư Ứ Ừ Ự Ỳ Ỵ

Which languages does Literata support?

Literata includes 7 character sets:

  • Cyrillic: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Serbian and other Cyrillic-script languages
  • Cyrillic Extended: additional Cyrillic letters used in languages such as Kazakh, Tatar and Bashkir
  • Greek: modern Greek
  • Greek Extended: polytonic (ancient) Greek
  • 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
  • Vietnamese: Vietnamese, including its stacked tone marks

Can I use Literata commercially?

Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Literata 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.

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Literata FAQ

Is Literata free for commercial use?

Yes. Literata 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 Literata include?

Literata includes 8 weights, from ExtraLight (200) to Black (900), each with a matching italic, for 16 styles in total. It's also a variable font, so any weight between 200 and 900 is available.

Does Literata support Cyrillic?

Yes. Literata includes Cyrillic characters, so it works for Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian text. It also supports Cyrillic Extended, Greek, Greek Extended, Latin, Latin Extended and Vietnamese.

Who designed Literata?

Literata was designed by TypeTogether. It was added to Google Fonts in December 2018.