When increasing the letter-spacing of text, are there any rules of thumb to follow?

Question

When increasing the letter-spacing of text, are there any rules of thumb to follow?

Answer

The space between the letters of a font are carefully determined by a typographer and it is therefore recommended that you use the letter-spacing property very conservatively. If you must use letter-spacing a few rules of thumb are:

  1. Headings or very large text can usually have a tighter letter-spacing or tracking.
  2. Keep your letter-spacing less than your word-spacing so that it isn’t difficult to distinguish between words and spaces.
  3. Do not letter-space body copy unless it definitely improves legibility (which is rare).