Which term refers to the part of lowercase letters that extends above the x-height?

• A. Descender
• B. Baseline
• C. Ascender
• D. Cap height

Answer: (C)

In typography, the part of lowercase letters that rises above the main body height is called the ascender. This area includes the tall strokes in letters like b, d, h, l, and t, which extend beyond the x-height—the height of the typical lowercase letter body. The baseline is the line those letters sit on, and descenders extend below that baseline (as in g, p, q). Cap height, meanwhile, is the height of the uppercase letters. So the term that describes the portion of lowercase letters reaching above the x-height is ascender.