# What type of sans-serif capital letter would you want to be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421 "2020-07-06T00:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/1 "2020-07-06T00:21:09Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/1))_ Be sure to provide a deep and profoundly personal psychological reason for your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/2 "2020-07-06T01:24:52Z")
I was liking the letter K myself, but I don’t think it’s symmetrical… at least, not with the theme I’m using. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/3 "2020-07-06T01:36:24Z")
I most certainly would not want to be sans serif. Serifs are marks of character and distinction, while the lack of them denotes a bare-boned stripped down Model T attitude towards the printed page. Most of all, I would not want to be a capital I, as everyone would constantly confuse me with a lower case l! (Has the option of changing fonts disappeared in the switch?) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/4 "2020-07-06T02:09:51Z")
When I wake up in the middle of the night and I’m trying to drift back off to sleep, I trace a large Capital R. But not just any R, I have to curve around each serif, then swoop down that roller coaster of a leg. So it’s a classical serif font, somewhere between a Goudy Oldstyle and a Baskerville. (I hand-draw my own illustrated stories, including all the type, so I made that R into a whole font: Neo-Baskermond Oldstyle.) (So I voted R, but if given a choice, it’d be a Serif R) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/5 "2020-07-06T03:07:10Z")
The ones that can be pronounced like a whole word because they are funnier. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/6 "2020-07-06T03:55:40Z")
I find symmetry pleasing. It’s usually my starting point for decorating, arranging food, gardening, or whatever. Not to say that moving away from symmetry isn’t appealing, but even then, it should be done with the understanding that the symmetry was the basis. I get how some letters are words - C is see or sea, Y is why, U is you, etc. But what word is D? (I’m half asleep right now so my brain isn’t fully working. I’ll probably feel stupid when someone points out the word.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/7 "2020-07-06T04:06:56Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I get how some letters are words - C is see or sea, Y is why, U is you, etc. But what word is D? > > (I’m half asleep right now so my brain isn’t fully working. I’ll probably feel stupid when someone points out the word.) Some are common names. Dee, Jay, Kay, Elle. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/8 "2020-07-06T04:10:00Z")
Ah, okay. I call my cat Dmitri “Dee” all the time, but I didn’t know nicknames counted. (Actually I think he thinks his name is “Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-deeMEEtree!” in a high-pitched sing-song tone. That’s what he answers to.) ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/9 "2020-07-06T04:18:46Z")
F because apparently its in a class all by itself. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/10 "2020-07-06T04:19:27Z")
There’s nothing like some good round bits. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/11 "2020-07-06T04:48:49Z")
The Cyrillic alphabet has some interesting possibilities that the Latin and Greek alphabets lack. Well, okay, Greek does have that letter like an up-turned pitchfork. (Upsilon) If you like pointy, try Cuneiform. If you like round and curvaceous, check out [Sinhala](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhala_script). ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/12 "2020-07-06T09:20:26Z")
That’s crazy talk. Whoever heard of capital sans-serif letters? Get back to work. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/13 "2020-07-06T10:00:16Z")
Yes, I’m super fond of the symmetry of **Ж**. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/14 "2020-07-06T12:05:56Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > I was liking the letter K myself, but I don’t think it’s symmetrical… at least, not with the theme I’m using. B and E are usually not symmetrical as well. (When an OP asks what kind of letter you’d like to be, nitpicking is inevitable.) My vote was for “Can be flattened to lines.” Letters with _enclosed counters_ (O, D, B etc.) cause problems if you’re working with stencils, or trying to digitally recolor an image. I’m mostly independent-minded, but try not to need special attention. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/15 "2020-07-06T18:01:26Z")
F because it increases my nonverbal swearing options. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/16 "2020-07-06T18:34:05Z")
B and E usually possess horizontal mirror symmetry. However, I think I have seen a few fonts where the upper loop of the capital B is slightly smaller than the lower loop. I don’t think I have ever seen a font where the capital E does not have horizontal mirror symmetry. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/17 "2020-07-06T19:11:24Z")
F, because we need an F in the chat for serifs. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/18 "2020-07-06T20:33:19Z")
The on-screen font I’m seeing (Helvetica or a mostly similar face) has non-symmetrical Es and Bs. The E is close, but the top slot is narrower than the bottom. The top loop of the B is less tall and less wide than the bottom loop. The main reason to care about such tiny differences is that almost every san serif font has those same asymmetries. The crossbars of the E and the B are nearly always more than halfway up. It’s the default design in san serif type. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-sans-serif-capital-letter-would-you-want-to-be/914421/19 "2020-07-06T20:39:38Z")
You’re doing better than me. Some days I can barely tell the difference between the B and the E. Also, is this thread about any font that does not have serifs or are we only talking about the specific font called Sans-serif?