Serif · DejaVu fonts team
DejaVu Serif
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'DejaVu Serif', serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
DejaVu Serif is a free serif by DejaVu fonts team, from Fontsource. Among the 354 serifs on FontKind, DejaVu Serif has an x-height taller than 82%, is wider than 84% and, at its regular weight, is of average darkness. Its thickest strokes are 2.2 times its thinnest: high stroke contrast.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of PT Serif Caption
DejaVu Serif on one light table with its two closest fonts, PT Serif Caption (97 out of 100) and IBM Plex Serif (92). PT Serif Caption is 7% heavier; IBM Plex Serif is 6% narrower and 6% lighter, with less stroke contrast.
DejaVu Serif and PT Serif Caption laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with DejaVu SerifPT Serif Caption…
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 DejaVu Serif 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 / Weights
DejaVu Serif in 2 weights
2 weights, 400–700, with italics
- 400 Regular, with its italic
- 700 Bold, with its italic
04 / Facts
Who made DejaVu Serif, and can you use it?
- Designer
- DejaVu fonts team
- Kind
- Serif
- Styles
- 2 weights, 400–700, with italics
- From
- Fontsource
- Character sets
- latin
- 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 Fontsource.
- PDFs and documents
- Yes.
- Changes
- Yes.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
DejaVu Serif 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
- Not verified. Docs adds Google Fonts, and DejaVu Serif comes from Fontsource. Google’s guide
- Word, PowerPoint
- No. Install it from Fontsource first. Microsoft’s list
- Figma
- No. DejaVu Serif comes from Fontsource: install it first. Figma’s help
- Canva
- Not verified. Search its font menu for DejaVu Serif, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists DejaVu Serif under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
DejaVu Serif, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 51.9% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 72.9% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.71lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 57.0% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 41%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 2.17 : 1high stroke contrast
Where it stands among serifs
Ranked against all 354 serifs on FontKind
x-heightLarger than 82% of serifs
WidthWider than 84% of serifs
InkNear the middle of serifs
ContrastNear the middle of serifs
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to DejaVu Serif
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- PT Serif Caption977% heavier
- IBM Plex Serif926% narrower · less stroke contrast · 6% lighter
- Montagu Slab87x-height 3% shorter
- Glegoo86less stroke contrast · x-height 10% taller · 20% lighter
- Kay Pho Du7914% narrower · less stroke contrast · 7% lighter
- Slabo 13px79less stroke contrast · 4% narrower · x-height 4% taller
All 100 fonts similar to DejaVu Serif →Compare side by side →Get DejaVu Serif on Fontsource
07 / Swap
Swap DejaVu Serif without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
- PT Serif Caption97text 2.1% narrower · x-height 1.2% taller
- Trocchi76text 2.8% narrower · x-height 0.9% taller
- Cantata One73text 1.3% wider · x-height 3.8% shorter
- Besley71text 2.6% narrower · same x-height
- Rhodium Libre58text 1.7% narrower · x-height 3.3% shorter
- Tienne57same text width · x-height 1.0% shorter
Fallback while it loads
Until DejaVu Serif loads, this sets Times New Roman in its place at 128% of its size, so running text keeps DejaVu Serif’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'DejaVu Serif Fallback';
src: local('Times New Roman');
size-adjust: 128.03%;
ascent-override: 72.50%;
descent-override: 18.42%;
line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}
font-family: 'DejaVu Serif', 'DejaVu Serif Fallback', serif;08 / Questions
Questions about DejaVu Serif
Answered from its licence, Fontsource and each app’s own font list
Is DejaVu Serif free for commercial use?
Yes. DejaVu Serif is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 , which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included.
How do I download and install DejaVu Serif?
FontKind doesn’t host DejaVu Serif’s files: it isn’t on Google Fonts, and comes free from Fontsource , a library of open fonts. On its page there, choose Get font, then Download complete family, and unzip the file: it holds desktop fonts for every weight and style. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install. For a website, npm install @fontsource/dejavu-serif adds it in one line.
Is DejaVu Serif in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: DejaVu Serif 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 DejaVu Serif in Google Docs?
Probably not: the More fonts list in Docs draws on Google Fonts, and DejaVu Serif comes from Fontsource. Docs can’t add a font of your own, so set it in an app on your computer, such as Word, instead.
Is DejaVu Serif in Figma?
Not built in: Figma includes Google Fonts, and DejaVu Serif comes from Fontsource. Install it on your computer and Figma lists it.
How many weights does DejaVu Serif have?
DejaVu Serif comes in two weights: Regular (400) and Bold (700), each with an italic.
Who designed DejaVu Serif?
DejaVu Serif was designed by DejaVu fonts team. DejaVu fonts team also made DejaVu Mono and DejaVu Sans.
What fonts are similar to DejaVu Serif?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are PT Serif Caption (97), IBM Plex Serif (92) and Montagu Slab (87), out of 100. Next to DejaVu Serif, PT Serif Caption is 7% heavier. See all 100 fonts like DejaVu Serif.