Compare Fonts → Sans Serif → Work Sans vs Instrument Sans

Work Sans vs Instrument Sans

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

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Work 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.

Instrument 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.

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	Work Sans	Instrument Sans	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	50.0%	51.0%	1.0%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	66.0%	72.0%	6.0%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.76	0.71	0.05
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	8.0%	8.2%	0.2%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.86	0.83	0.03
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	54.8%	52.5%	2.3%

Where they diverge most

Average character width: Work Sans measures 54.8%, Instrument Sans measures 52.5%. Mean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.
x-height to cap ratio: Work Sans measures 0.76, Instrument Sans measures 0.71. Proportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.
x-height: Work Sans measures 50.0%, Instrument Sans measures 51.0%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.

At a glance

	Work Sans	Instrument Sans
Category	Sans Serif	Sans Serif
Weights	9	4
Variable axes	1	2
Language subsets	3	2
Designer	Wei Huang	Rodrigo Fuenzalida