noun

glyph

glif

Glyph (noun) means a single visual character or symbol, especially one specific drawn shape of a letter, number or sign in a typeface. Example: “The font ships with over 900 glyphs, including Cyrillic and Greek.”

noun

A single visual character or symbol, especially one specific drawn shape of a letter, number or sign in a typeface.

"The font ships with over 900 glyphs, including Cyrillic and Greek."

"The ampersand is the most decorative glyph in the whole set."

A small pictorial symbol used as an icon or marker in an interface, on a map or in signage.

"Tap the gear glyph to open settings."

"Each hazard on the map is marked by its own glyph."

A carved or incised symbol in an ancient writing system, such as those of the Maya or of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

"Archaeologists have deciphered most of the glyphs on the stela."

How to Use Glyph

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishOne symbol or character shape.

When to use it

Technical in typography and computing; otherwise mainly archaeological.

Memory tip

A character is the abstract letter; a glyph is one drawn version of it. The letter a is one character but has a different glyph in every typeface.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

glyph vs. character glyph vs. font glyph vs. icon

Common pairings

glyph set missing glyph custom glyph carved glyph

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The font ships with over 900 _____, including Cyrillic and Greek.

Etymology

From Greek gluphē 'carving', from gluphein 'to carve', by way of French glyphe.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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character symbol sign mark icon pictogram emblem hieroglyph inscription carving

Related Words

part line self picture model character quality individual

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a glyph and a character?

A character is an abstract unit of writing — the letter A, regardless of how it looks. A glyph is one concrete drawn shape representing it. One character can have many glyphs, and some glyphs, like the fi ligature, represent more than one character.

What is the difference between a glyph and an icon?

Icon is the broader interface term for any small pictorial symbol. Glyph is used more precisely for a symbol drawn as part of a typeface, so it inherits the font's weight, size and colour rather than being a separate image file.

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