Best Cover Letter Font: 6 Choices With Full Sample Letters
By CVBooster Team · Published · Updated
7 min read
The best cover letter font is the plain, readable one that matches your resume: Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Garamond, Times New Roman or Aptos, at 10 to 12 points, with a single font for the whole letter. Pick one, use the same font and size on the resume, and spend your time on the first sentence instead. Below are six complete cover letters, each set in a different font with its size, spacing and margins listed, so you can see which choice fits which kind of job.
Nobody has ever been hired because of a font. Plenty of people have been skipped because their cover letter looked like a ransom note. The job of a font here is to disappear.
The rule that decides it
Match the resume. Berkeley's career center, in its cover letter advice, says: "It is recommended that the cover letter have the same format style as your resume, including the header with your contact information, same font and font size, and same margins." Two documents that look like a set read as one application.
Example 1: Calibri, the safe default
Calibri is clean, familiar and easy on screens. It suits office, sales, marketing, nonprofit and general jobs.
Entry level: Calibri 11 pt, office coordinator letter (131 words)
Format: Calibri, 11 pt, single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Ms. Hughes,
I am applying for the Office Coordinator position at Bright Path Dental. For the past two years I have run the front desk of a busy medical practice, handling about 60 patient calls and 25 check-ins a day.
At my current job I rebuilt the appointment reminder process, which cut no-shows from about 14 per week to 6. I also manage supply orders and keep the office budget within plan.
Your posting mentions a growing practice and a new patient system. I have set up and trained my team on a new scheduling tool, and I would like to do the same for you.
Thank you for your time. I have attached my resume.
Sincerely, Jordan Lee
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What the sources say about font and layout
MIT's career office gives a clear floor in its resume guide: "Use a conservative font no smaller than 10pt and leave at least half inch margins on all sides." The same applies to a cover letter, since it travels with the resume.
Berkeley's career center sets the range in its resume advice: "with a 10-11 point font size and between .5-inch to one-inch margins all around." Cover letters have more white space, so 11 or 12 points is comfortable.
Harvard's career services lists the rules for letters in its guide: "Keep letters concise and factual, no more than a single page." Choose a font that lets the whole letter fit on one page at a readable size, and do not shrink the text to squeeze in more words.
Five more fonts, each with a full letter
Entry level: Arial 11 pt, customer service letter (106 words)
Format: Arial, 11 pt, single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing about the Customer Service Representative role at Northwind Insurance. I have spent three years answering calls and chats for an online retailer, where I handled around 45 contacts a day with a 94% satisfaction score.
When a delivery problem hit our biggest customers, I wrote a short reply guide that the team used for the following weeks. Calls on that issue were closed about a third faster.
I would like to bring the same calm approach to your claims line. I have attached my resume.
Best regards, Marcus Webb
Mid level: Georgia 11 pt, communications letter (107 words)
Format: Georgia, 11 pt, single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Mr. Patel,
I am applying for the Communications Manager position at the Riverside Community Trust. For six years I have written newsletters, reports and press releases for a regional charity, and I edit a quarterly magazine with a readership of 8,000.
Last year I led a donor story series that raised more than $40,000 in new gifts. I wrote each profile in plain language and worked with program staff to confirm every detail.
I admire the Trust's focus on local housing, and I would like to help you tell that story.
Kind regards, Priya Nair
Mid level: Garamond 12 pt, law or academic letter (105 words)
Format: Garamond, 12 pt (Garamond runs small), single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Professor Ito,
I am applying for the Research Associate position in your constitutional law program. I recently completed my J.D. and served as an editor on the law review, where I cite-checked 14 articles.
I also researched and drafted a 40-page memorandum on state election law for a clinic project, which the clinic supervisor used in a filing. I enjoy long research tasks and writing that has to be exact.
I am drawn to your project on voting rights and would welcome the chance to contribute.
Respectfully, Daniel Okafor
Mid level: Times New Roman 12 pt, government letter (87 words)
Format: Times New Roman, 12 pt, single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Selection Panel,
I am applying for the Program Analyst position, announcement 26-0417. I have five years of experience analyzing program budgets and reporting for a county health department.
I prepared the annual budget review for a program of $12 million and identified savings of about $300,000 through contract renegotiation. I also wrote quarterly performance reports for the county board.
I have attached my resume and the documents the announcement requires.
Sincerely, Elena Petrova
Senior: Aptos 11 pt, product manager letter (114 words)
Format: Aptos, 11 pt, single spacing, 1 inch margins, left aligned
Dear Ms. Alvarez,
I am applying for the Senior Product Manager role at Clearwater Software. I have led product for a B2B analytics tool for six years, managing a team of two designers and eight engineers.
Last year I led a redesign of onboarding that cut the time to a first report from 21 minutes to 9. I presented the results to the executive team and agreed the priorities for the next two quarters.
I am looking for a product role where I can set direction with a strong design partner, and I have linked a short case study below.
Best, Hannah Brooks
Which font for which job
- Calibri or Aptos: most office, tech, marketing and general jobs. Aptos is the newer Microsoft default, and Calibri is the familiar one.
- Arial: an easy choice when you are not sure, and it looks the same on most systems.
- Georgia: writing, publishing, education and nonprofit roles, where a serif adds warmth.
- Garamond: law, academia and the humanities, set at 12 points because it runs small.
- Times New Roman: government, legal and traditional institutions. It reads as formal, and some readers find it dated, so use it when the sector expects it.
If the application asks for a specific font, use it. If you are pasting into a form or an email, use the default font of that box so nothing changes in transit.
Font size, spacing and margins
- Size: 11 or 12 points for the body, 10 only if the font is large for its size. Never under 10.
- Spacing: single line spacing, with one blank line between paragraphs.
- Margins: 1 inch, and never under half an inch.
- Alignment: left aligned. Avoid justified text, which creates uneven gaps.
- Headings and name: the same font, maybe one size larger or bold. Do not add a second font.
- File: save as PDF so the font cannot change. If the application asks for Word, use a font installed on most computers.
For related layouts, see the cover letter format guide, resume fonts and how long should a cover letter be. If you are working in Word or Docs, the cover letter template in Word and Google Docs cover letter template pages show where to set these options.
Fonts to avoid
- Comic Sans and other casual fonts. They read as unserious.
- Script and handwriting fonts. They are hard to read, and a parsing system may mangle them.
- Very thin or very bold display fonts. They blur at small sizes.
- Mixing fonts. One font, one letter.
- Unusual downloads. If the reader does not have it, the layout breaks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best font for a cover letter?
A plain, readable font such as Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Garamond, Times New Roman or Aptos. The best one is the font on your resume, so the two documents look alike.
What font size should a cover letter be?
11 or 12 points for the body. Do not go below 10 points, and do not shrink the text just to fit a page.
Should the cover letter and resume use the same font?
Yes. The same font, size and margins make the two documents look like one application.
Is Times New Roman acceptable for a cover letter?
Yes, especially for government, legal and traditional employers. It is formal, though some readers see it as dated, so a font like Calibri or Georgia can feel fresher.
Does the font matter for applicant tracking systems?
Standard fonts parse without trouble. Avoid script, decorative and unusual fonts, and save a PDF or Word file as the application asks.
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