In typography, what term refers to a word or short line that appears at the top of a column?

• A. Orphan
• B. Widow
• C. Gutter
• D. Space

Answer: (A)

In typography, the way a paragraph breaks across columns or pages is managed to keep the text readable and visually balanced. A word or short line that starts at the top of a column is called a widow. This happens when the last line of a paragraph appears at the top of the next column or page, leaving that single line alone. It’s the opposite situation from an orphan, which is the first line of a paragraph left alone at the bottom of a page or column. The gutter is simply the space between columns, and space refers to blank room around elements.