Compare Fonts → Serif → Bitter vs Arvo

Bitter vs Arvo

Both are serif faces on Google Fonts. Bitter has the larger x-height, so it looks bigger at the same size. Arvo takes more horizontal space.

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Bitter

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Measured from the font files. Heights and widths are shown as a share of the font size, so they compare directly at any point size.
Measurement	Bitter	Arvo	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	52.8%	50.6%	2.2%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	69.8%	74.0%	4.2%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.76	0.68	0.07
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	8.4%	9.5%	1.1%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.70	0.82	0.12
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	53.3%	55.5%	2.2%

Stroke contrast: Bitter measures 0.70, Arvo measures 0.82. Horizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.
x-height: Bitter measures 52.8%, Arvo measures 50.6%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.
x-height to cap ratio: Bitter measures 0.76, Arvo measures 0.68. Proportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.