# Bitter font

> A slab serif made for comfortable reading on screens, variable from Thin to Black with italics.

Bitter is a slab serif typeface family designed by Sol Matas for comfortable reading on screens. Bitter is a variable font with a weight axis from 100 to 900, nine named weights with italics, and character sets for Latin, Cyrillic and Vietnamese. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits articles, e-books, blogs and sturdy headlines.

## Facts

- Classification: [Slab Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/slab-serif)
- Designed by: Sol Matas
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 18 (Thin 100, ExtraLight 200, Light 300, Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700, ExtraBold 800, Black 900; with italics)
- Variable font: Yes (wght 100–900)
- Glyphs: 1522
- Character sets: cyrillic, cyrillic-ext, latin, latin-ext, vietnamese
- Last updated: 2026-06-30
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Bitter
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/bitter
- Tagged for: Headlines, Body text, Editorial, Bold

## About Bitter

Bitter is a slab serif family that Sol Matas designed for reading on computers and other devices. The design began on a pixel grid, and it keeps a large lowercase height and little difference between thick and thin strokes. Its serifs match the stems in thickness and end square, and the Regular is drawn darker than a typical print Regular, so paragraphs have a dense, even colour. In the specimen the lightest weight is a fine, wire-like line with flat slabs, while Black is compact and heavy. Bitter is a variable font with one axis, weight, from 100 to 900; nine named weights and their italics make 18 styles. The fonts hold 1,522 glyphs and cover Latin, Latin Extended, Cyrillic and Vietnamese. The official notes say it was spaced by hand so that it needs few kerning pairs. The license is the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2011 The Bitter Project Authors (https://github.com/solmatas/BitterPro) with Reserved Font Name "Bitter Pro".

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Long articles on the web**: The large lowercase height and low stroke contrast were chosen for screens, where thin hairlines tend to break up.
- **E-books and reading apps**: Bitter was motivated by the growth of electronic books, and its dark Regular holds its colour on e-ink and LCD alike.
- **Blogs that use one family throughout**: Weights from 100 to 900 let headings, text and captions come from the same variable files.
- **Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian text**: The 1,522 glyphs include Cyrillic, so a slab serif look carries across Latin and Cyrillic editions.
- **Headlines and pull quotes**: ExtraBold and Black turn the square slabs into a strong display voice.

## Things to know

- **Listed as a serif at the source**: The official catalogue puts Bitter under serif; its square, stem-thick serifs make it a slab serif.
- **Regular is darker than usual**: The official notes state that Regular is thicker than a typical print Regular, so text looks heavier than in many serif families.
- **Two variable files**: Roman and italic each come as one variable file covering 100 to 900. Static files are not in the package.

## FAQs

### Is Bitter free for commercial use?

Yes, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. Bitter may be used in personal and commercial projects, modified and redistributed; it cannot be sold by itself, and a modified version keeps the same license.

### Who designed Bitter?

Bitter was designed by Sol Matas. The copyright notice names The Bitter Project Authors.

### How many weights does Bitter have?

Bitter has nine named weights, from Thin 100 to Black 900, each with an italic, which makes 18 styles.

### Is Bitter a variable font?

Yes. Bitter is a variable font with a weight axis from 100 to 900.

### Is Bitter a slab serif?

Yes. Bitter is described by its designer as a contemporary slab serif for text, with serifs that match the stems in thickness and end square.

### Which languages does Bitter support?

Bitter includes the letters needed for English and other Latin-script languages such as German, Polish, Turkish and Vietnamese, as well as Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian. Greek is not included.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/bitter (trendhub)