Display · Astigmatic

Special Elite

Q: Is Special Elite free for commercial use?

Yes. Special Elite is under the Apache License 2.0, which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included; a file you change is marked as changed.

Your words – they follow you round the site

Case

Size72 px

Weight400 RegularThe only weight it comes in

Letter spacing0 em

Line height1.10

Find the font. Find its kind.

CSSfont-family: 'Special Elite', sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;

Special Elite is a free display font by Astigmatic, on Google Fonts since 2011. Among the 554 display faces on FontKind, Special Elite has an x-height shorter than 77%, is wider than 65% and, at its regular weight, is lighter than 61%. Its thickest strokes are 0.7 times its thinnest: nearly even strokes.

Compare with Crayon Libre →Compare with another font

01 / Light table

Laid on top of Crayon Libre

Special Elite on one light table with its two closest fonts, Crayon Libre (83 out of 100) and Creepster (78). Crayon Libre is 12% narrower; Creepster is 22% narrower and 41% heavier, with an x-height 52% taller.

Layout

Letters

Show

Size auto

Ink shared with Special EliteCrayon Libre…

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.

Open in the compare tool →

02 / Letters

The Special Elite 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.

&
?
!
@
%
(
)

With this font

Write your ownTypewriter font generator →Your words in Special Elite and 3 more typewriter fonts. Download any of them as a PNG for Canva or an SVG for Cricut.

03 / Sizes

Special Elite 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 Special Elite, and can you use it?

Designer: Astigmatic
Kind: Display
Styles: 1 weight (400)
On Google Fonts since: 2011
Character sets: latin, latin-ext
Licence: Apache License 2.0

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. Mark the files you changed.
Sharing the files: Yes. With its notices, even for a fee.

Special Elite is under the Apache License 2.0. This is a plain summary, not legal advice: the licence itself decides.

What each licence allows →

Read the licence

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 Special Elite, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
Cricut: Once installed. Design Space lists Special Elite under System. Fonts for Cricut →

From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.

How each app gets its fonts →

Get Special Elite on Google Fonts

05 / Measurements

Special Elite, measured

Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style

Hxgp in Special Elite. Lines at the measured heights, as a share of the em · The parts of a letter, named

x-height: 48.1% of the emlowercase x
Cap height: 69.0% of the emcapitals
x / cap: 0.70lowercase against capitals
Width: 57.7% of the emaverage lowercase
Ink: 45%letter box filled
Contrast: 0.74 : 1nearly even strokes

How we measure →

Where it stands among display faces

Ranked against all 554 display faces on FontKind

x-heightSmaller than 77% of display faces
WidthWider than 65% of display faces
InkLighter than 61% of display faces
ContrastMore even than 97% of display faces

06 / Similar fonts

Fonts similar to Special Elite

Matched letter by letter · its own family apart

All 100 fonts similar to Special Elite →Compare side by side →Get Special Elite on Google Fonts

07 / Swap

Swap Special Elite without a jump

Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%

Fallback while it loads

Until Special Elite loads, this sets Arial in its place at 118.4% of its size, so running text keeps Special Elite’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Special Elite Fallback';
  src: local('Arial');
  size-adjust: 118.45%;
  ascent-override: 59.36%;
  descent-override: 25.07%;
  line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}

font-family: 'Special Elite', 'Special Elite Fallback', sans-serif;

08 / Pairs

Used together with Special Elite

Of the 3,088 home pages that load Special Elite, 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

More than chanceCourier Prime 99×IM Fell English 94×Fjalla One 8.7×

Fonts that go with Special Elite: pairs and trios →The pairs sites choose most →

Pair checkerSpecial Elite + 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 other

09 / Questions

Questions about Special Elite

Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list

Is Special Elite free for commercial use?

Yes. Special Elite is under the Apache License 2.0 , which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included; a file you change is marked as changed.

How do I download and install Special Elite?

FontKind doesn’t host Special Elite’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 Special Elite in Microsoft Word?

Not until you install it: Special Elite 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 Special Elite in Google Docs?

Most likely. Search for Special Elite under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.

Is Special Elite in Figma?

Yes: Special Elite is in Figma’s font menu, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.

How many weights does Special Elite have?

Special Elite 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 Special Elite?

Special Elite was designed by Astigmatic. It has been on Google Fonts since April 2011. Astigmatic also made Aclonica, Parisienne, Righteous and 54 more on FontKind.

What fonts are similar to Special Elite?

The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Crayon Libre (83), Creepster (78) and Love Ya Like A Sister (78), out of 100. Next to Special Elite, Crayon Libre is 12% narrower. See all 100 fonts like Special Elite.