THE OVERALL SHAPE A WORD FORMS, SEEN AS A SINGLE VISUAL UNIT.
In typography, bouma refers to the silhouette or contour a whole word creates, the pattern of ascenders, descenders, and letter widths that our eyes recognize almost instantly.
Instead of reading letter by letter, we often identify words by their outline.
The term comes from Dutch researcher Herman Bouma, who studied word recognition in the 1970s.
His work suggested that readers rely heavily on these word shapes, especially in quick or low-attention reading.
While later research refined (and sometimes challenged) the original theory, the idea stuck around in design.
It’s why mixed-case text is more readable than ALL CAPS, and why changing a typeface can shift how familiar words “feel” at a glance.
