Compare Fonts → Serif → Merriweather vs Libre Baskerville

Merriweather vs Libre Baskerville

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

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Merriweather

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.

Libre Baskerville

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 differences

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	Merriweather	Libre Baskerville	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	55.5%	53.0%	2.5%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	74.3%	77.0%	2.7%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.75	0.69	0.06
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	11.6%	11.3%	0.3%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.49	0.44	0.05
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	55.9%	58.7%	2.8%

Where they diverge most

x-height: Merriweather measures 55.5%, Libre Baskerville measures 53.0%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.
Average character width: Merriweather measures 55.9%, Libre Baskerville measures 58.7%. Mean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.
x-height to cap ratio: Merriweather measures 0.75, Libre Baskerville measures 0.69. Proportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.

At a glance

	Merriweather	Libre Baskerville
Category	Serif	Serif
Weights	7	4
Variable axes	3	1
Language subsets	5	2
Designer	Sorkin Type	Impallari Type