The asterisk in different fonts
Every typeface draws its own asterisk. Some have five arms and some have six, some sit high near the tops of capital letters, and coding fonts often centre it. Below, each sample shows H*x so you can see the height, followed by a larger asterisk.
H*x*
GeorgiaH*x*
Times New RomanH*x*
ArialH*x*
HelveticaH*x*
VerdanaH*x*
Trebuchet MSH*x*
Courier NewH*x*
Your system UI fontH*x*
Your monospace fontH*x*
Your serif fontThese samples use fonts installed on your device, so they may differ from what someone else sees. If a font isn't installed, your browser substitutes a similar one.
What changes between fonts
- Height. In most text fonts the asterisk is raised, roughly level with the top of an "H", because its main job is marking footnotes. Monospaced coding fonts often lower it to the middle of the line, so
a*breads like multiplication. - Number of arms. Five or six is typical. Five-armed asterisks feel more traditional and calligraphic. Six-armed ones feel more geometric.
- Arm shape. Serif fonts often give the arms teardrop or wedge ends. Sans-serif fonts tend to use straight, even strokes.
- Size. Some fonts draw a tiny asterisk that's easy to miss. If footnote marks are important in your document, check the asterisk before you commit to a font.
Choosing a font for heavy asterisk use
For code, pick a monospaced font with a centred asterisk. For documents with many footnotes, pick a font whose asterisk is large and clear. For logos and headlines, consider drawing the mark yourself, or start from our free asterisk SVGs, so it matches your brand exactly.