# Why did some lowercase "S"s printed in the past look like a defaced "f"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918 "2025-06-20T23:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/41 "2025-06-25T02:53:45Z")
James Reavis, fraudster claimant to the Barony of Arizona, was exposed in part by the mismatch of long s in his forged documents with how it had actually been used. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/42 "2025-06-25T03:57:06Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > My opinion (backed by a total lack of evidence that I’m aware of) is that printers are to blame – dropping the second form of ‘s’ gave them more room in their job cases, and simplified both setting and breaking down type. There’s also the type sorting issue, where the f and long-s get frequently sorted into the wrong bin. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/43 "2025-06-25T05:14:59Z")
Does anyone remember Cecil Adams? > **[Why did 18th-century writers use F inftead of S?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341274/why-did-18th-century-writers-use-f-inftead-of-s)** Youngsters! Feh! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/44 "2025-06-26T08:42:15Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Until it was pointed out to me, I was not even aware that there were two different a shapes. Even plain TeX offers “Roman” (and slanted) versus “Italic” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/45 "2025-06-26T09:03:29Z")
There is a typeface named “Zapfino” that includes at least 4 or so variants of each letter, because it is supposed to be inspired by handwriting and calligraphy. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/46 "2025-06-26T14:56:38Z")
Yes it does. That’s when I first became aware of the difference, even though I had been seeing it forever. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918/47 "2025-06-27T22:20:04Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > [Life, liberty, and the purfuit of happineff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ihq21s2XUA)! [It’s in, it’s very in.](https://youtu.be/iOOQfGWt8Hc?si=mkA5jb8MMwwKC-g3) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-lowercase-s-s-printed-in-the-past-look-like-a-defaced-f/1019918.md?page=2)