English

Noun

en quad ‎(plural en quads)

1. (typography) A quad which has a fixed width of 1 en.

Usage notes

The en quad and the en space are usually synonymous as they both start as a space with a width of 1 en. However, in electronic publishing a few contrast the two by holding that if the font is condensed or expanded to alter the width of the characters, the en quad remains 1 en in width, while the en space is altered in width to the same proportion as the printing characters.

Synonyms

• en quadrat, n quadrat (obsolete)
• en space
• nut quad

Related terms

• em quad
• en dash
• en space