Nunito Sans Font: History, Pairings and How to Use It

Nunito Sans is a free sans serif by Jacques Le Bailly, made as the non-rounded companion to Vernon Adams’s Nunito and added to Google Fonts in 2016. It runs from ExtraLight 200 to Black 900 with italics, and since 2023 it has been a variable font with weight, width, optical size and lowercase height axes. It is a friendly, balanced choice for interfaces and body text.

Where Nunito Sans Came From

Nunito Sans grew out of Nunito, a sans serif with rounded ends that Vernon Adams created for display text. Jacques Le Bailly of Baron von Fonthausen extended Nunito to a full set of weights and drew a companion version with regular, non-rounded ends: Nunito Sans. It was added to Google Fonts in 2016. Manvel Shmavonyan and Alexei Vanyashin later contributed Cyrillic to the Nunito family.

In February 2023 Nunito Sans was upgraded to a variable font with four axes, Cyrillic was added and language support was expanded. It is released under the SIL Open Font License, so anyone can use it on websites, in apps and in print without paying.

What Nunito Sans Looks Like

Nunito Sans keeps the soft, balanced proportions of Nunito but trades the rounded ends for clean, square cuts. The result is friendly without looking childish. Bowls are round and open, strokes have very little contrast, and the letters are spaced comfortably for reading on screens.

The mood is warm and approachable, a little softer than strict geometric fonts and a little more relaxed than neutral grotesques. That makes it a good fit for text that should feel helpful and human, like instructions, help pages and product descriptions.

Weights and Styles

Nunito Sans has named weights from ExtraLight 200 to Black 900, each with a true italic, and its variable weight axis reaches 1000. It also has a width axis from 75 to 125, an optical size axis from 6 to 12 that adjusts the design for small text, and a lowercase height axis that makes the x-height taller or shorter.

For most sites, 400 works for body text, 600 for labels and 700 for headings. Narrower widths help long headings fit on small screens. Try Nunito Sans at 700 for headings and 400 for text.

Where Nunito Sans Works Best

Nunito Sans works well in apps, dashboards, help centres and product sites, anywhere text needs to be clear and friendly at small and medium sizes. It suits education, health, nonprofit and family brands that want warmth without a playful rounded font. It is also a calm choice for blogs and resumes.

Fonts That Pair Well with Nunito Sans

Nunito Sans is easy to pair because it stays quiet. A rounded or geometric sans with more weight makes a friendly heading, while a text serif adds contrast for editorial pages. These pages show it in a pairing or suggest partners:

• Nunito Sans and EB Garamond, soft headings over a classic book serif
• Rubik and Nunito Sans, soft headings over a friendly body
• Source Serif 4, a calm serif for headings or long text
• PT Serif, a sturdy serif with a traditional feel
• Montserrat, wide geometric headings for a bolder look

Nunito Sans as a Proxima Nova and Avenir Alternative

Proxima Nova and Avenir are paid sans fonts that are common on websites and in branding. Nunito Sans shares their round shapes, even strokes and clean, modern feel, with a slightly warmer tone. Its width and optical size axes also give you more control than most free options.

For the other free options, see the Proxima Nova alternatives and the Avenir alternatives.

How to Use Nunito Sans on Your Site

Load Nunito Sans from Google Fonts with the CSS in the Use This Font panel, then set it as the font for the whole page. List system-ui and sans-serif after it, so text still looks clean while the font loads. Request only the weights and axes you need, since loading all four axes makes a larger file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about Nunito Sans.

Is Nunito Sans Free for Commercial Use?

Yes. Nunito Sans is released under the SIL Open Font License, so you can use it on commercial websites, in apps, in logos and in print without paying or asking permission.

What Is the Difference Between Nunito and Nunito Sans?

Nunito has rounded ends on its strokes, which gives it a soft, playful look. Nunito Sans uses the same basic design with regular, square ends, so it looks cleaner and more neutral in body text.

What Is the Best Font to Pair with Nunito Sans?

Rubik makes a friendly heading partner. For more contrast, use a serif such as Source Serif 4 or PT Serif for headings over Nunito Sans text.