Which typography term describes a narrower width of characters?

• A. Expanded type
• B. Condensed type
• C. Regular type
• D. Italic type

Answer: (B)

When you think about how wide each character is, you’re looking at glyph width. The term for characters that are narrower than normal is condensed type. It reduces the horizontal space each glyph occupies while keeping the same letter shapes and proportions overall. This lets you fit more text into a line or column without changing the font family or weight.

Expanded type would do the opposite, making characters wider. Regular type uses the standard, normal width. Italic type changes the posture of the letters (a slant) rather than their width, so it isn’t about narrowing characters. Condensed type is especially handy for headlines or tight layouts, though it can hurt readability if overused or used at small sizes.