Compare Fonts → Sans Serif → PT Sans vs Source Sans 3

PT Sans vs Source Sans 3

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

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PT Sans

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	PT Sans	Source Sans 3	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	50.0%	48.6%	1.4%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	70.0%	66.0%	4.0%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.71	0.74	0.02
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	8.3%	8.5%	0.2%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.84	0.80	0.04
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	48.1%	47.5%	0.6%

x-height: PT Sans measures 50.0%, Source Sans 3 measures 48.6%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.
Stroke contrast: PT Sans measures 0.84, Source Sans 3 measures 0.80. Horizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.
x-height to cap ratio: PT Sans measures 0.71, Source Sans 3 measures 0.74. Proportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.