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A character is a single unit of language, such as a letter or punctuation mark. The term is closely related to—but not the same as—a glyph.

Every font has a Unicode character map that links (abstract) character IDs with how to display that character, using the default glyphs.

A lowercase “a” character, rendered in two different glyphs from the same typeface: On the left, a two-story version; on the right, a single-story version. A line above the two glyphs links them together, showing that both glyphs represent the same character. Separate lines, below each, are grayed out.

While the two terms are sometimes interchangeable when talking about type, a single character can have multiple glyphs (see alternates), and a single glyph can represent multiple characters (see ligatures).

And, even for scenarios where a single character relates to a single glyph, it’s important to note that the character is the abstract concept; the glyph is what we use.