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A glyph is a single representation of a character. Every font has a Unicode character map that links (abstract) character IDs with how to display that character, using the default glyphs.

A single glyph takes up one space in a font’s glyph table—a database that sits inside a font file, organized in a standardized way according to Unicode recommendations.

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 below each of the two shows that they are individual glyphs. A single line, above, is not highlighted, and represents “character."

While “glyph“ and “character” 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.