Letter spacing and paragraph spacing in Figma - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is letter spacing in Figma?

Letter spacing is the space between individual letters in a text. Adjusting it changes how tight or loose the letters appear.

beginner

How does paragraph spacing affect text in Figma?

Paragraph spacing controls the space between separate paragraphs, making text blocks easier to read and visually balanced.

intermediate

Why is adjusting letter spacing important in design?

It improves readability and visual appeal by preventing letters from looking too crowded or too spread out.

beginner

What unit does Figma use for letter spacing?

Figma uses pixels (px) to measure letter spacing, allowing precise control over the space between letters.

intermediate

How can paragraph spacing improve the user experience in reports or dashboards?

By adding clear space between paragraphs, it helps users scan and understand information quickly without feeling overwhelmed.

What does increasing letter spacing do to text?

A Makes letters farther apart

B Makes letters closer together

C Changes font size

D Changes paragraph spacing

Increasing letter spacing adds more space between letters, making them farther apart.

Paragraph spacing controls the space between:

A Words in a sentence

B Letters in a word

C Separate paragraphs

D Lines within a paragraph

Paragraph spacing adjusts the space between separate paragraphs, not lines or words.

Which unit is used for letter spacing in Figma?

A Points (pt)

B Pixels (px)

C Em

D Percent (%)

Figma uses pixels (px) to measure letter spacing.

Why should paragraph spacing be used in dashboards?

A To separate sections clearly

B To increase font size

C To change font color

D To make text bold

Paragraph spacing helps separate sections clearly, improving readability.

What happens if letter spacing is too tight?

A Text becomes easier to read

B Paragraph spacing increases

C Font style changes

D Letters may overlap or look crowded

Too tight letter spacing can cause letters to overlap or look crowded, reducing readability.

Explain how letter spacing and paragraph spacing affect the readability of text in a dashboard.

Think about how spacing changes how easy it is to read and understand text.

Describe how you would adjust letter spacing and paragraph spacing in Figma to improve a report's visual clarity.

Consider what happens if spacing is too small or too large.

Practice

1. What does letter spacing control in a text block?

easy

A. The space between individual letters

B. The space between words

C. The space between paragraphs

D. The font size of the text

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand letter spacing meaning

   Letter spacing means adjusting the space between each letter in a word.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other spacing types

   Word spacing is space between words; paragraph spacing is space between paragraphs.

3. Final Answer:

   The space between individual letters -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Letter spacing = space between letters [OK]

Hint: Letter spacing = space between letters, not words or paragraphs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing letter spacing with word spacing
• Thinking paragraph spacing affects letters
• Mixing font size with spacing

2. Which CSS property correctly sets letter spacing to 2 pixels?

easy

A. paragraph-spacing: 2px;

B. letter-spacing: 2px;

C. spacing-letter: 2px;

D. text-spacing: 2px;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct CSS property for letter spacing

   The correct CSS property is letter-spacing.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   Setting it as letter-spacing: 2px; is valid CSS syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   letter-spacing: 2px; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct CSS property = letter-spacing [OK]

Hint: Remember CSS property is exactly 'letter-spacing' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent properties like paragraph-spacing
• Swapping property names
• Missing hyphen in property name

3. Given this CSS snippet:

p { letter-spacing: 3px; paragraph-spacing: 10px; }

What will happen when applied to paragraphs in a BI report?

medium

A. Letters will have 3px spacing; paragraph-spacing will be ignored as invalid

B. Both letter-spacing and paragraph-spacing will be ignored

C. Paragraphs will have 3px spacing; letters will have 10px spacing

D. Letters in paragraphs will be spaced out by 3px; paragraphs will have 10px space between them

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand letter-spacing effect

   Letter-spacing: 3px will space letters by 3 pixels correctly.

2. Step 2: Check validity of paragraph-spacing

   CSS does not have a paragraph-spacing property, so it will be ignored.

3. Final Answer:

   Letters will have 3px spacing; paragraph-spacing will be ignored as invalid -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Valid CSS property works; invalid ignored [OK]

Hint: Only valid CSS properties apply; invalid ones are ignored [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming paragraph-spacing is valid CSS
• Mixing letter and paragraph spacing values
• Expecting both properties to work

4. You want to increase space between paragraphs in a BI report using Figma. Which approach fixes this incorrect CSS?

p { letter-spacing: 1px; paragraph-spacing: 15px; }

medium

A. Use padding-left: 15px; on paragraphs

B. Change letter-spacing to 15px

C. Add line-height: 15px; instead

D. Replace paragraph-spacing with margin-bottom: 15px;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify invalid property

   paragraph-spacing is not a valid CSS property.

2. Step 2: Use correct CSS to add space between paragraphs

   Using margin-bottom: 15px; adds space below each paragraph, effectively spacing paragraphs.

3. Final Answer:

   Replace paragraph-spacing with margin-bottom: 15px; -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Margin controls spacing between blocks [OK]

Hint: Use margin-bottom to space paragraphs, not paragraph-spacing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using line-height to add paragraph spacing
• Changing letter-spacing instead of paragraph spacing
• Using padding-left which affects horizontal space

5. In a BI dashboard, you want text to be easy to read with balanced spacing. Which combination of settings is best?

letter-spacing: 0.05em;
margin-bottom: 1.5em;

Why is this better than letter-spacing: 0; and margin-bottom: 0.5em;?

hard

A. Letter spacing should be negative; margin-bottom should be zero

B. Zero letter spacing is clearer; smaller margin saves space

C. Slight letter spacing improves clarity; larger margin separates paragraphs clearly

D. Letter spacing and margin-bottom do not affect readability

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand letter spacing impact

   Slight positive letter spacing (0.05em) helps letters not crowd each other, improving clarity.

2. Step 2: Understand paragraph spacing impact

   Larger margin-bottom (1.5em) clearly separates paragraphs, making text easier to scan.

3. Final Answer:

   Slight letter spacing improves clarity; larger margin separates paragraphs clearly -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Balanced spacing = better readability [OK]

Hint: Small letter spacing + bigger paragraph margin = clearer text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking zero spacing is always best
• Ignoring paragraph spacing importance
• Using negative letter spacing which reduces clarity