fonts/cc-by-sa/knowledge/glossary/terms/axis_in_variable_fonts/content.md


In [variable fonts](/glossary/variable_fonts), the axis usually refers to a single aspect of a [typeface](/glossary/typeface)’s design that can be altered by the user.

<figure>

![Various weights of a typeface set along the top of a horizontal line. Beneath the line, on the far left, is a label of zero; on the right, 1000.](images/thumbnail.svg)

</figure>

Common axes include [italic](/glossary/italic_axis), [optical size](/glossary/optical_size_axis), [slant](/glossary/slant_axis), [weight](/glossary/weight_axis), [width](/glossary/width_axis), and these five are registered (defined) in the OpenType file format specification. However, any property of a typeface’s design can be mapped to an axis—the choice is up to the [type designer](/glossary/type_designer). Using axes is possible in CSS via the `font-variation-settings` attribute.
-												Add Knowledge files to main fonts repo

											
										
										
											2021-12-07 22:28:03 +03:00
 								In [variable fonts](/glossary/variable_fonts), the axis usually refers to a single aspect of a [typeface](/glossary/typeface)’s design that can be altered by the user.
 								<figure>
 								![Various weights of a typeface set along the top of a horizontal line. Beneath the line, on the far left, is a label of zero; on the right, 1000.](images/thumbnail.svg)
 								</figure>
-												Axis def tweaks (#4425)

* Updating URLs to point to the new axis defs in the Glossary

* Removing spaces around em dash

* Removing hyphen in `line-height`

* Missing URL fix

* Small copy tweaks & broken URL fixes

* Fixing unclosed figure tag
											
										
										
											2022-03-28 12:16:23 +03:00
+								Common axes include [italic](/glossary/italic_axis), [optical size](/glossary/optical_size_axis), [slant](/glossary/slant_axis), [weight](/glossary/weight_axis), [width](/glossary/width_axis), and these five are registered (defined) in the OpenType file format specification. However, any property of a typeface’s design can be mapped to an axis—the choice is up to the [type designer](/glossary/type_designer). Using axes is possible in CSS via the `font-variation-settings` attribute.