Times New Roman Font Pairing: The Best Fonts to Pair with Times
A strong Times New Roman font pairing puts a clean sans serif such as Inter, Montserrat or Open Sans in the headings and lets Times handle the text. The pairs below use Tinos, a free font with the same character widths as Times New Roman, and each one is set in its own fonts.
About Times New Roman
Times New Roman was commissioned by The Times of London. The project was supervised by the typographer Stanley Morison and the letters were drawn by Victor Lardent, and the typeface first appeared in the newspaper in October 1932. It was designed to fit more words on a page while staying sharp on cheap newsprint, so its letters are slightly condensed, with a large x-height, short descenders and crisp, high-contrast strokes.
Those traits made Times New Roman one of the most used typefaces in the world. It was the default font in Microsoft Word until 2007, and it is still installed on almost every computer. That ubiquity cuts both ways: Times is readable and familiar, but on its own it can look like a default. Pairing it with a deliberate heading font is the easiest way to make it look chosen rather than inherited.
The Best Fonts to Pair with Times New Roman
Times New Roman works best as the body font, so these pairings give the headings to a sans serif. Each pair is set in its own fonts, with a link to see it on a full page.
Inter and Times New Roman
Set in Inter 700 and Tinos 400 See this pair ›
Best for reports, documentation, academic sites and any page that needs to look current without losing a traditional reading voice. Inter is a neutral, highly readable sans designed for screens, and the contrast between its even strokes and Times’s sharp serifs keeps the roles clear.
Montserrat and Times New Roman
Set in Montserrat 700 and Tinos 400 Try this pair in the generator ›
Best for newsletters, magazines and business sites that want a confident headline voice. Montserrat’s wide, geometric capitals contrast strongly with Times’s condensed letters, so headings feel bold and open while the body stays compact and efficient.
Open Sans and Times New Roman
Set in Open Sans 700 and Tinos 400 Try this pair in the generator ›
Best for schools, community organisations, nonprofits and government services. Open Sans is a friendly humanist sans with open letters, and its warmth softens the formality of Times.
Lato and Times New Roman
Set in Lato 700 and Tinos 400 Try this pair in the generator ›
Best for professional services such as accountants, consultants and law firms that want something more personal than an all-Times document. Lato has rounded details and a slightly elegant, semi-geometric structure, so Lato headings over Times text feel polished and calm.
Oswald and Times New Roman
Set in Oswald 600 and Tinos 400 Try this pair in the generator ›
Best for news sites, opinion blogs and editorial landing pages. Oswald is a condensed sans in the tradition of American gothic poster type, and its tall, narrow headlines echo the newspaper heritage of Times for a classic news look.
Times New Roman and Source Sans 3
Set in Tinos 700 and Source Sans 3 400 Try this pair in the generator ›
Best for law, finance and heritage brands. Times also works as a heading font when the body is set in a clean sans. Bold Times headlines over Source Sans 3 text give the page a traditional, authoritative title voice with easy, modern paragraphs below.
Times New Roman Font Pairings at a Glance
The six pairings above, with the weights to use and the kind of site each one suits.
| Heading Font | Body Font | Feel | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter 700 | Times New Roman 400 | Crisp, modern | Reports, documentation, academia |
| Montserrat 700 | Times New Roman 400 | Bold, confident | Newsletters, magazines, business |
| Open Sans 700 | Times New Roman 400 | Friendly, clear | Schools, nonprofits, government |
| Lato 700 | Times New Roman 400 | Polished, calm | Professional services |
| Oswald 600 | Times New Roman 400 | Classic news | News, opinion, editorial |
| Times New Roman 700 | Source Sans 3 400 | Traditional, authoritative | Law, finance, heritage |
Times New Roman on the Web
Times New Roman is installed on nearly every Windows and Mac computer, so you can use it on a website without loading a font file. That keeps pages fast. On Android and Linux devices it is often missing, though, and the browser will fall back to another serif. To keep layouts consistent, list Tinos after Times New Roman in your CSS font stack and load it from Google Fonts. Tinos has the same character widths, so text wraps the same way on every device.
Times was drawn for narrow newspaper columns, so it looks small at the same pixel size as most screen fonts. Set body text at 18 to 20 pixels with a line height of about 1.6, and keep lines to around 65 characters. The Use These Fonts button on each pair page, or in the generator, gives you the embed code and CSS for any pairing.
When to Keep Times New Roman
Some documents expect Times New Roman. Many universities, journals, courts and government offices still specify it for submissions, so keep it where a style guide requires it. In those cases, you can still improve the result with careful spacing, a consistent heading style and comfortable margins. On your own website or brand materials, a deliberate pairing like the ones above will make Times look chosen rather than default.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about pairing Times New Roman.
What Font Goes Well with Times New Roman?
A clean sans serif for headings. Inter, Montserrat, Open Sans and Lato all pair well, because their even strokes contrast with Times’s sharp, high-contrast serifs.
Does Arial Go with Times New Roman?
It does, and the two have been paired in documents for decades. The combination is safe but looks very familiar. Inter or Lato give a similar result with a more considered, modern feel.
Is Times New Roman Good for Websites?
It is readable and needs no font download, but it was designed for print and can look small or dated on screens. Setting it larger, with generous line height and a deliberate heading font, makes it work well.
What Is the Free Version of Times New Roman?
Tinos, designed by Steve Matteson, is free on Google Fonts and has the same character widths as Times New Roman, so text keeps the same line breaks.