Serif · Ben Weiner
Bentham
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'Bentham', serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
Bentham is a free serif by Ben Weiner, on Google Fonts since 2010. Among the 354 serifs on FontKind, Bentham has an x-height shorter than 96%, is narrower than 72% and, at its regular weight, is lighter than 71%. Its thickest strokes are 4.0 times its thinnest: high stroke contrast.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of Playfair
Bentham on one light table with its two closest fonts, Playfair (82 out of 100) and Baskervville SC (81). Playfair is 33% wider, with less stroke contrast and an x-height 8% taller; Baskervville SC is 4% wider, with an x-height 13% taller and less stroke contrast.
Bentham and Playfair laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with BenthamPlayfair…
Most different letters first; the figure is the share of ink the fonts have in common. Where the fonts agree the letters cancel to black: every white sliver is a real difference.
02 / Letters
The Bentham alphabet
Capitals, lowercase, figures and signs · weight 400
Tap the letters you like, here and in other fonts, to find the fonts whose letters look most like them.
- &
- ?
- !
- @
- %
- (
- )
03 / Sizes
Bentham at every size
1 weight (400) · six sizes, in your words
- 12 px
- 16 px
- 24 px
- 36 px
- 48 px
- 72 px
04 / Facts
Who made Bentham, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Ben Weiner
- Kind
- Serif
- Styles
- 1 weight (400)
- On Google Fonts since
- 2010
- Character sets
- latin, latin-ext
- Licence
- SIL Open Font License 1.1
Can I use it?
- Commercial use
- Yes.
- Logos
- Yes.
- Websites and apps
- Yes. Self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts.
- PDFs and documents
- Yes.
- Changes
- Yes, under another name. Not as “Bentham”: the licence reserves the name.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
Bentham is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. This is a plain summary, not legal advice: the licence itself decides.
Already in your apps?
- Google Docs
- Most likely. Under More fonts, in Sheets and Slides too. Google’s guide
- Word, PowerPoint
- No. Install it from Google Fonts first. Microsoft’s list
- Figma
- Yes. Built in, nothing to install. Figma’s help
- Canva
- Not verified. Search its font menu for Bentham, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists Bentham under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
Bentham, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 38.6% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 61.1% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.63lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 48.2% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 38%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 4.00 : 1high stroke contrast
Where it stands among serifs
Ranked against all 354 serifs on FontKind
x-heightSmaller than 96% of serifs
WidthNarrower than 72% of serifs
InkLighter than 71% of serifs
ContrastMore contrast than 92% of serifs
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to Bentham
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- Playfair8233% wider · less stroke contrast · x-height 8% taller
- Baskervville SC81x-height 13% taller · less stroke contrast · 4% wider
- Baskervville81x-height 13% taller · less stroke contrast · 4% wider
- Bacasime Antique809% narrower · more stroke contrast · x-height 8% taller
- Playfair Display SC77x-height 58% taller · 30% wider · 28% lighter
- Jacques Francois76x-height 12% taller · 12% heavier · 6% wider
All 100 fonts similar to Bentham →Compare side by side →Get Bentham on Google Fonts
07 / Swap
Swap Bentham without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
None of the fonts that look most like Bentham sets text to its width and x-height: a swap would move lines.
Fallback while it loads
Until Bentham loads, this sets Times New Roman in its place at 103.4% of its size, so running text keeps Bentham’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'Bentham Fallback';
src: local('Times New Roman');
size-adjust: 103.36%;
ascent-override: 83.05%;
descent-override: 24.56%;
line-gap-override: 8.69%;
}
font-family: 'Bentham', 'Bentham Fallback', serif;08 / Questions
Questions about Bentham
Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list
Is Bentham free for commercial use?
Yes. Bentham is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 , which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included; a changed version may not be called “Bentham”.
How do I download and install Bentham?
FontKind doesn’t host Bentham’s files: it comes free from Google Fonts . On its page there, choose Get font, then Download all, and unzip the file. It holds a single font file. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open, Word included.
Is Bentham in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: Bentham isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. For someone who hasn’t installed it, turn on Embed fonts in the file in Word’s save options: its licence allows that.
Is Bentham in Google Docs?
Most likely. Search for Bentham under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.
Is Bentham in Figma?
Yes: Bentham is in Figma’s font menu, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.
How many weights does Bentham have?
Bentham comes in one weight, Regular (400). Ask for bold and most apps thicken the letters themselves: a faux bold, not a drawn one.
Who designed Bentham?
Bentham was designed by Ben Weiner. It has been on Google Fonts since November 2010. Ben Weiner also made Geo and Puritan.
What fonts are similar to Bentham?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Playfair (82), Baskervville SC (81) and Baskervville (81), out of 100. Next to Bentham, Playfair is 33% wider, with less stroke contrast and an x-height 8% taller. See all 100 fonts like Bentham.