Glossary
White Space
The empty space around and between elements in a layout that improves readability.
Definition
White space (also called negative space) refers to the empty areas in a layout — the space between paragraphs, around headings, between lines of text, and around page margins. In writing, white space is created by short paragraphs, frequent line breaks, headings, and bullet points.
Why It Matters
White space dramatically improves the perceived readability and professionalism of written content. Dense pages cause reader fatigue and increase bounce rates. Research consistently shows that well-spaced content is read more completely and retained more effectively.
Examples
Paragraph spacingA blank line between every paragraph instead of a solid block of text
Line height1.6–1.8x line height in body text — creates comfortable reading rhythm
Common Mistakes
Equating white space with empty content.
Using single-spaced text blocks in web content.
Ignoring line length — lines that are too long (90+ characters) harm readability.
Removing white space to fit more content on screen.