Times New Roman Still Tops as Font of Choice in Adobe Survey

Times New Roman remains the most popular font among Americans, according to a new Adobe study that surveyed 1,013 adults about 13 widely used typefaces, including Helvetica, Calibri, Arial, Comic Sans, Wingdings and Papyrus. The results show Times New Roman was chosen by 27% of respondents, ahead of Calibri at 16% and with Helvetica and Arial tied at 12%, and Georgia at 8%.

Adobe asked 1,013 Americans about 13 fonts, including Helvetica, Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Comic Sans, Roboto, Courier New, Verdana, Impact, Lobster, Georgia, Wingdings and Papyrus. Beyond popularity, the survey explored perceptions of formality and trust. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman and Georgia are associated with formality and professionalism, while sans serifs such as Arial and Calibri are viewed as clean and approachable. In email contexts, 64% said Times New Roman signals a reputable business image, compared with 15% for Arial, 8% for Calibri, and 3% for Verdana and Roboto. By contrast, several fonts were labeled as less suitable for business use: Wingdings was deemed cringey by 55% of respondents, Comic Sans by 17%, Papyrus by 11%, Lobster by 8%, and Impact by 3%.

The study also sheds light on generational differences in font taste. Gen Z respondents favored Times New Roman as their top choice, with more than one in three selecting it as their favorite. By contrast, Gen X and Baby Boomers were about 60% more likely than Gen Z and Millennials to name Arial as their preferred font. The data suggest that younger readers gravitate toward what they perceive as modern and versatile, while older cohorts show a stronger affinity for traditional, formal type.

In addition to popularity and tone, Adobe released materials that map fonts to perceived traits and professional contexts, illustrating how typeface choice can align with roles and industries. The release notes that fonts carry associations that can influence how a message is received, from marketing to UX design to legal work, even as the actual impact on outcomes remains one piece of a broader communication puzzle.

The findings arrive as Microsoft recently overhauled its default typeface for the first time in 17 years, replacing Calibri with Aptos as the standard across Windows and Office applications. Microsoft described Aptos as a sans-serif designed for readability across languages and sizes, noting features that enhance legibility, such as bold, well-defined letterforms and subtle circular-square contours that improve reading at small sizes.

The Adobe study underscores that font choice matters for perception and readability, even as the relationship between typeface and outcomes remains nuanced. For readers composing emails, reports, or digital interfaces, the findings suggest a practical takeaway: align font choices with the intended tone and audience, while balancing legibility and brand consistency. In a landscape with hundreds of thousands of available fonts, the enduring appeal of Times New Roman and the rising or falling reputations of other faces offer a window into how typography shapes judgment in the digital age.