Font Comparison: Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono vs. JetBrains Mono and Fira Code

Summary

Font comparison and review: Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono Published: July 22nd, 2025 Updated: July 22nd, 2025 Recently, I modified anthes.is to use Atkinson Hyperlegible Next for sans-serif and Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono for monospace. Following the principle of eating your own dog food, I also switched to Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono in my terminal. After a month of daily use, I can now assess this font’s practical advantages and compare it to established programming fonts like JetBrains Mono and Fira Code. Download links: Table of contents On character distinction and readability Understanding Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono’s strengths requires examining the readability challenges programming fonts must address. While many fonts distinguish between 0 and O, or 1, l, and I, these represent only two of many cases where character distinction matters. Typographers call lookalike characters “homoglyphs.” The examples below showcase both homoglyphs and “mirror image” glyphs. Screenshots in this section come from Evaluating Fonts: Font Family Selection for Accessibility & Display Readability. Multi-character homoglyphs Multi-character homoglyphs occur when a sequence of glyphs appear to form a single character. For example, cl can resemble d. Monospace fonts reduce this problem, since each character occupies equal horizontal space. In the “worse” example, letters blend together to resemble different characters. The “better” examples use subtle details to prevent this—like Convergence’s curly y and Quando’s serifs. Single character homoglyphs Single character homoglyphs occur when one glyph resembles another—such as 8 and B. Several problems emerge in the “worse” examples. In Fugaz One, the O and 0 appear indistinguishable. Nearly the same applies to u, v, and w. The 1, l, and I look identical in Gill Sans. The “better” examples address these concerns through deliberate design choices. SecularOne uses a circle for O and an oval for 0, while the u, v, and w maintain distinct shapes...