Which term describes the vertical spacing between lines of text?

• A. Tracking
• B. Baseline shift
• C. Leading
• D. Interline spacing

Answer: (C)

Leading is the term for the vertical distance from the baseline of one line of text to the baseline of the next line. It comes from the old practice of placing lead strips between lines in metal typesetting, and today it’s what you adjust to control how much space there is between lines. Increasing leading adds more white space and can make blocks of text easier to read, especially in paragraphs.

Tracking, on the other hand, adjusts the horizontal spacing between characters across a block of text, not the vertical spacing between lines. Baseline shift moves the entire line up or down relative to a reference baseline, rather than changing the gap between lines. Interline spacing is a casual term that users sometimes use to describe line spacing, but the standard typographic term is leading.