Recursive
Recursive is a sans serif font in 7 weights, also available as a variable font. Its lowercase letters are 9% wider than the typical sans serif font. Last updated 5 September 2025.
Editing a PDF that uses Recursive
Most PDFs embed only the letters they already use. Type a new letter and many editors either refuse or swap in a different font. MythosPDF recognises Recursive from the widths stored in your PDF, loads the complete open font, and sets your new text in Recursive itself. The rest of the page is carried over untouched.
Measured metrics
| Average lowercase letter width | 563.5 units per 1000 em |
|---|---|
| Average capital letter width | 626.9 units per 1000 em |
| Word space | 300 units per 1000 em |
| Digits | tabular (every digit is 600 units wide, so columns of numbers line up) |
| Spacing | proportional |
| Width of i compared with m | 41% |
| Printable ASCII characters covered | 94 of 94 |
| Category | Sans serif |
Weights and styles
Languages beyond basic Latin
Open fonts closest to Recursive
Measured on every printable character both fonts contain. A smaller difference means the same words take the same space, so lines break in the same places.
- Kanchenjunga Regularloosely similar widths (39.5 units)
- Andika Regularloosely similar widths (40.1 units)
- Bitcount Prop Double Ink Regularloosely similar widths (41.1 units)
- Bitcount Prop Double Regularloosely similar widths (41.1 units)
- Iosevka Aile Regularloosely similar widths (42.6 units)
- Space Grotesk Regularloosely similar widths (42.8 units)
- Iosevka Etoile Regularloosely similar widths (45 units)
- Cossette Texte Regularloosely similar widths (47.9 units)
Compare Recursive
Questions people ask
+Can I edit a PDF that uses Recursive?
Yes. Drop the PDF into MythosPDF and click the text. New letters are set in Recursive itself, loaded from the open font, so the edit matches the rest of the page.
+Is Recursive free to use?
Recursive is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, an open licence that allows free use in documents, including commercial ones. Check the licence text for your exact use.
+Which font is closest to Recursive?
By measured letter widths, Kanchenjunga is the closest match among open fonts (a mean difference of 39.5 units per 1000 em). Text set in one takes almost the same space in the other.
+Which languages does Recursive support?
It includes these character sets: Cyrillic Extended, Latin, Central European, Vietnamese.
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