What does legibleness mean?
Legibleness is the abstract noun for legibility: the quality of being easy enough to read or interpret correctly. It is especially applied to handwriting, print, typefaces, signatures, and labels, where the arrangement and clarity of letters determine whether a reader can decipher the text. In ordinary use, legibility is more common, while legibleness has a somewhat formal or literary tone and can give emphasis to the condition itself rather than to a particular piece of writing. The word is occasionally useful when discussing a comparison: one typeface may possess greater legibleness than another, or poor lighting may reduce the legibleness of a sign. Although it can describe anything sufficiently clear to be read, the term is most natural in contexts involving visual text. Its Latin ancestry also connects it with the familiar adjective legible, making it an apt word for discussions of readability in design, publishing, education, and everyday communication.
nounThe quality or state of being easy to read, especially with reference to handwriting, print, type, or a signature.
- The quality of being legible or easy to read.
"The design of the label was simple, chosen for its legibleness rather than its decorative effect."
"Dark ink greatly improved the legibleness of the handwritten notes."
"The historian praised the legibleness of the manuscript despite its age."
Rare and normally unnecessary; the singular is used for the general quality of being readable.
"The report compares the legiblenesses of several typefaces."
The clue is Latin legere, “to read”: legibleness is what separates a page you decode from one you simply turn.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of legibleness
Legibleness was formed in English from the adjective legible and the noun-forming suffix -ness. Legible derives from Latin legibilis, meaning “readable,” which in turn comes from legere, “to read.” The same Latin root also produced words such as lecture and legend, although their modern senses arose through separate semantic developments.
Related word forms
How legibleness is actually used
Formal and relatively uncommon. It is somewhat more literary than legibility and is chiefly used when discussing the quality of writing, print, type, or signatures. The plural is rarely needed.
Easily confused with legibleness
Legibleness names the abstract quality of being readable, whereas legibility more often refers to the readability of a particular text, typeface, or design.