# What's the deal with the letter g? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639 "2014-08-15T20:33:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/1 "2014-08-15T20:33:56Z")
Open up the reply box and type a lower case letter ‘g’. Looks like [this](http://kiboomukidssongs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/lower-case-alphabet-letter-g-template-for-kids-crafts.jpg), right? But once the message is posted, it looks like [this](http://www.xaraxone.com/webxealot/workbook46/3d-logo-01.gif). As far as I know, this only happens to the letter g. Not that its simply stylized, but it looks completely different when written vs. when displayed in a font. Sure, the lower case letter ‘a’ looks that weird way that it does, but nobody writes like that and more importantly, when its displayed, it looks exactly like how it shows you. But they change g for some reason. Why? There’s gotta be some morbid historical reason why we do this, right? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/2 "2014-08-15T20:37:46Z")
good god you’ve got a good point ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/3 "2014-08-15T20:38:08Z")
The reply box uses a different font from the forum itself. And it can probably vary depending on settings on your browser. Nothing to freak out about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/4 "2014-08-15T20:38:53Z")
It’s just that this site uses different fonts for the reply box and for the posts themselves. eta: got in late. Anyway, I think this may be a vBulletin thing (rather than a conscious decision on the part of those who administer the SDMB). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/5 "2014-08-15T20:43:31Z")
The OP is asking why there are two very different variants of the letter _g_. Here’s what [Wikipedia has to say about it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G#Typographic_variants). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/6 "2014-08-15T21:17:44Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Sure, the lower case letter ‘a’ looks that weird way that it does, but nobody writes like that Actually, I do. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/7 "2014-08-15T21:23:02Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Actually, I do. Are you a serial killer? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/8 "2014-08-15T21:25:44Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Actually, I do. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/9 "2014-08-15T23:54:57Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Here’s what [Wikipedia has to say about it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G#Typographic_variants). Care to translate that into English? ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/10 "2014-08-16T00:21:55Z")
Huh - the “g” in the subject line of the OP is rendered one way while the “g” in the body of the text of the OP is rendered the other way. Is it because it’s a bold “ **g** ” ? On preview, nope not that. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/11 "2014-08-16T02:35:34Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > As far as I know, this only happens to the letter g. The ampersand, &, also looks very different between the Reply box and the post. There was a thread about it a few months back. > [@sich\_hinaufwinden](#): > > Huh - the “g” in the subject line of the OP is rendered one way while the “g” in the body of the text of the OP is rendered the other way. Added an ampersand in the title for my post, just for you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-letter-g/695639/12 "2014-08-16T02:56:45Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > The OP is asking why there are two very different variants of the letter _g_. Here’s what [Wikipedia has to say about it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G#Typographic_variants). No, the OP wants to know why one of the variants is used in the reply box and the other is used after the reply is posted. As others have said, it’s just because the reply box and the default board font are different. ggggg ggggg You can change the font if you want. If you find the right one it’s barely noticeable.