Fraktur is the name of the printed text you will find in German newspapers, church record headings, vital records, and more. From the Latin word for “broken”, this font, with its jagged corners and sharp edges, certainly lives up to its name. Fortunately, the font is not as difficult to read as the old German handwriting, but that doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake. While I guarantee you that your brain will get used to it after awhile, there are still some tricky letters that can strongly resemble one another.
Below, find the most commonly-confused letters in Fraktur – and how you can tell these letters apart. There are examples of each letter discussed in the words above the description.
1. Lowercase k and t
The lowercase “k” and “t” can very much resemble one another. The top part of both letters leans slightly to the right, and they both have a horizontal line in their middle.
However, the “k” has an extra diagonal line between the top and middle line, whereas the “t” does not. The middle of the “t” is also crossed all the way through, while the horizontal line of the “k” is simply on the right side of the letter and does not extend through the middle.
2. Lowercase s and f
The “s” and the “f” can look very similar in Fraktur. They both extend below the line, and the top of each letter extends horizontally to the right.
The “f”, however, is fully crossed in its middle, while the “s” only has a slight protrusion on its left.
3. Lowercase s and s
4. ß and Lowercase tz
The “ß” and “tz” can look very similar to one another in Fraktur, as they both have two loops coming off a straight left side. Remember that the “t” however, leans only slightly to the right at the top, while the top of the “ß” extends farther to the right. The “z” of the “tz” will also usually have a tail at the bottom, while the “ß” does not.
5. Capital C and E
5. Capital I and J
