Serif · Undercase Type
Fraunces
More axes (3)More axes (2)
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-optical-sizing: none; line-height: 1.1;
Fraunces is a free serif by Undercase Type, Phaedra Charles and Flavia Zimbardi, on Google Fonts since 2020. Among the 354 serifs on FontKind, Fraunces has an average x-height, is wider than 69% and, at its regular weight, is darker than 77%. Its thickest strokes are 2.8 times its thinnest: high stroke contrast.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of Shippori Mincho B1
Fraunces on one light table with its two closest fonts, Shippori Mincho B1 (86 out of 100) and Zen Antique (83). Shippori Mincho B1 is 26% lighter, with less stroke contrast; Zen Antique has more stroke contrast.
Fraunces and Shippori Mincho B1 laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with FrauncesShippori Mincho B1…
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 Fraunces 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
Fraunces in 9 weights
9 weights, 100–900, with italics · variable from 100 to 900
Variable weight, 100 to 900
- 100 Thin, with its italic
- 200 Extra light, with its italic
- 300 Light, with its italic
- 400 Regular, with its italic
- 500 Medium, with its italic
- 600 Semibold, with its italic
- 700 Bold, with its italic
- 800 Extra bold, with its italic
- 900 Black, with its italic
04 / Facts
Who made Fraunces, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Undercase Type, Phaedra Charles, Flavia Zimbardi
- Kind
- Serif
- Styles
- 9 weights, 100–900, with italics
- Variable axes
- SOFT 0–100, WONK 0–1, Optical size 9–144, Weight 100–900
- On Google Fonts since
- 2020
- Character sets
- latin, latin-ext, vietnamese
- 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.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
Fraunces 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 Fraunces, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists Fraunces under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
Fraunces, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 47.1% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 70.0% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.67lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 53.9% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 46%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 2.75 : 1high stroke contrast
Where it stands among serifs
Ranked against all 354 serifs on FontKind
x-heightNear the middle of serifs
WidthWider than 69% of serifs
InkDarker than 77% of serifs
ContrastMore contrast than 76% of serifs
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to Fraunces
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- Shippori Mincho B18626% lighter · less stroke contrast
- Zen Antique83more stroke contrast
- Gelasio807% narrower · less stroke contrast · x-height 3% taller
- Zen Old Mincho8012% narrower · x-height 9% shorter · 9% lighter
- UoqMunThenKhung78more stroke contrast · x-height 15% taller · 3% wider
- Asar7714% narrower · less stroke contrast
All 100 fonts similar to Fraunces →Compare side by side →Get Fraunces on Google Fonts
07 / Swap
Swap Fraunces without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
- Shippori Mincho B186text 1.1% wider · x-height 2.0% taller
- Taviraj59text 1.1% narrower · same x-height
- Monomakh58text 2.3% wider · same x-height
- Brygada 191853text 0.7% narrower · x-height 2.3% shorter
- GFS Didot53text 2.7% narrower · x-height 3.1% shorter
- Edwin52text 1.1% narrower · x-height 1.0% shorter
Fallback while it loads
Until Fraunces loads, this sets Times New Roman in its place at 117.2% of its size, so running text keeps Fraunces’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'Fraunces Fallback';
src: local('Times New Roman');
size-adjust: 117.24%;
ascent-override: 83.42%;
descent-override: 21.75%;
line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}
font-family: 'Fraunces', 'Fraunces Fallback', serif;08 / Pairs
Used together with Fraunces
Of the 28,885 home pages that load Fraunces, the share that load each font too, and how that compares with chance.
Same page, not which sets the headings · HTTP Archive , 1 September 2026
- Inter28%8,146 sites · 2.8× chance
- DM Sans8%2,301 sites · 4.1× chance
- JetBrains Mono6.4%1,836 sites · 13× chance
- Poppins5.4%1,558 sites · 0.5× chance
- Manrope5.3%1,540 sites · 3.2× chance
- Plus Jakarta Sans4.6%1,315 sites · 4.2× chance
More than chanceSpline Sans Mono 23×Hanken Grotesk 16×IBM Plex Mono 14×
Fonts that go with Fraunces: pairs and trios →The pairs sites choose most →
Pair checkerFraunces + any fontHow many of the 6,276,350 home pages counted load the two together, and how that compares with chance.Check this font with any other09 / Questions
Questions about Fraunces
Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list
Is Fraunces free for commercial use?
Yes. Fraunces 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 Fraunces?
FontKind doesn’t host Fraunces’s files: it comes free from Google Fonts . On its page there, choose Get font, then Download all, and unzip the file. It holds two variable files, one for the uprights and one for the italics, and a static folder with a file per style: install one set or the other, not both. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open, Word included.
Is Fraunces in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: Fraunces isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. On Windows, its weights beyond Regular and Bold show as fonts of their own, such as Fraunces Thin and Fraunces Black. For someone who hasn’t installed it, turn on Embed fonts in the file in Word’s save options: its licence allows that.
Is Fraunces in Google Docs?
Most likely. Search for Fraunces under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.
Is Fraunces in Figma?
Yes: Fraunces is in Figma’s font menu with all nine weights and their italics, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.
How many weights does Fraunces have?
Fraunces comes in nine weights, from Thin (100) to Black (900), each with an italic. It is a variable font: it takes any weight from 100 to 900 and optical sizes from 9 to 144, plus two axes of its own.
Who designed Fraunces?
Fraunces was designed by Undercase Type, Phaedra Charles and Flavia Zimbardi. It has been on Google Fonts since July 2020. Phaedra Charles also made Caprasimo.
What fonts are similar to Fraunces?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Shippori Mincho B1 (86), Zen Antique (83) and Gelasio (80), out of 100. Next to Fraunces, Shippori Mincho B1 is 26% lighter, with less stroke contrast. See all 100 fonts like Fraunces.