Whisper Font Free Download

Yes, there is an official Whisper font free download, and it is free for commercial use too. Whisper is a calligraphic script by Robert Leuschke, the lettering artist behind the TypeSETit foundry, and Google Fonts publishes it under the SIL Open Font License (OFL). You can use it for logos, products you sell, websites and client work without paying or asking. The one thing the licence rules out is selling the font file on its own.

Whisper font free download: where to get it and the terms

The official source is Whisper’s Google Fonts specimen page. The download is one TrueType file, Whisper-Regular.ttf, plus the licence text. Google Fonts added the family in March 2022, and its source files live in the public googlefonts/whisper repository on GitHub.

The licence notice built into the font reads: “This Font Software is licensed under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1.” The copyright line says “Copyright 1993-2022 The Whisper Project Authors”, which matches Google’s note that the design dates from the early nineties.

Free download: official Whisper (Google Fonts) SIL Open Font License, free for personal and commercial use

You don’t need a copy from any other free-font site. Google’s file is the current version (1.010), and some sites mix it up with paid fonts that share the name.

Whisper font at a glance

• Designer: Robert E. Leuschke (Rob Leuschke), founder of TypeSETit, near St. Louis, Missouri
• Designed: early 1990s; on Google Fonts since March 2022
• Style: calligraphic italic script with angular strokes and looping capitals
• Family: 1 style, Regular (weight 400)
• Character set: 654 glyphs, 587 characters, Latin with Central European and Vietnamese support
• Licence: SIL Open Font License 1.1, no reserved font name
• Free alternatives: Mrs Saint Delafield, Italianno, Allura

Which Whisper font are you looking for?

Several fonts use the name, so check the one you have in mind:

• Whisper by Robert Leuschke is the free Google Fonts script this page covers.
• Whisper Script by Ferry Ardana Putra is a dry-brush hand-lettered font with swashes, sold on MyFonts. It is a commercial font, so a “free” copy of it is not licensed for business use.
• Whispers by Krismagraph, plural, is another paid calligraphy font on MyFonts.

MyFonts once sold Leuschke’s Whisper through TypeSETit. That listing now says “The font is no longer available for purchase”, so the Google Fonts release is the way to get it.

Design and character

Google describes Whisper as “a contemporary calligraphic script with non-Roman script capitals” and “a strong italic with angular strokes and a warm, flowing look”. When we set it, the angles show up in the lowercase: the joins come to small points rather than round loops, and downstrokes are clearly heavier than the hairline upstrokes, like writing done quickly with a broad pen.

The lowercase is small. In the font file the x-height is 300 units against a cap height of 620, so lowercase letters are less than half as tall as the capitals, with long ascenders and descenders. Most lowercase letters join into one line; words such as “mommy” run without a break.

The capitals carry the personality. They are loose, looping forms with entry strokes and crossbars that swing well past the letter, and the W is drawn as a double loop. Those flourishes overlap the next letter, so a word set in all capitals turns into a tangle. Use a capital to start a word and keep the rest lowercase.

What’s in the Whisper font download

We inspected Whisper-Regular.ttf from the Google Fonts repository:

• Glyphs: 654, covering 587 characters
• One style only: there is no bold, light or separate italic. Avoid the fake bold button in apps, which smears the thin strokes.
• Figures and symbols: script-style numerals, currency signs from the euro to the Indian rupee, and common math symbols
• Kerning: built-in kerning pairs plus accent positioning
• Embedding: the file sets no embedding restrictions, so PDFs, Canva uploads and web use all work

Language support and OpenType features

Google lists Latin, Latin Extended and Vietnamese, which covers Western and Central European languages such as French, German, Polish, Czech and Turkish, plus Vietnamese with its stacked accents. There is no Cyrillic or Greek; the only Greek letters are the Ω and π used as math symbols.

The OpenType features are practical rather than decorative:

• Ligatures (liga): ff, fi, fl, ffi and ffl are drawn as single shapes so the f’s don’t collide.
• Fractions and superscripts (frac, sups): ¼, ½ and ¾, and superscript 1 to 4.
• Ordinals (ordn): ª, º and the numero sign №.
• Case forms and local forms (case, locl): flatter accents above capitals, Romanian ș and ț with a comma below, the Turkish dotted i, and the Catalan l·l.

There are no stylistic sets, swash alternates or extra letter versions. That is a small benefit in Canva and Cricut Design Space, which can’t reach OpenType alternates anyway: you see every letter the font has.

Whisper font pairings and best uses

Whisper suits short, personal lines: wedding invitations and place cards, thank-you notes, signatures on menus, quotes on social posts, product labels, and names on certificates. Because the lowercase is small and the hairlines are thin, set it larger than you would a text font, and give it a light background.

• With a serif: Cormorant Garamond shares Whisper’s thick-and-thin contrast for formal stationery. EB Garamond is the better choice for paragraphs.
• With a sans: Lato or Montserrat in capitals with wide letter spacing gives a clean modern contrast under a Whisper name.
• Avoid: another script next to it, and long paragraphs in Whisper itself.

Can you use Whisper commercially?

Yes. The OFL FAQ says you are “very welcome” to use OFL fonts in logos, posters, business cards, signage and t-shirts, and your artwork does not fall under the font licence. Credit to the designer is not required, though it is appreciated. You may also embed the font in PDFs, websites, apps and games, and bundle it with software you sell.

What you can’t do is sell Whisper by itself or pass a modified version off under another licence; modified versions must stay under the OFL. One caution for logos: anyone else can use the same free font, so a logo that is just your name typed in Whisper is hard to call your own. Adding custom lettering or a symbol helps. This is general information, not legal advice.

How to download and install Whisper

1. Open the Google Fonts specimen page and click Get font, then Download all. You get a ZIP file.
2. Unzip it. Inside are Whisper-Regular.ttf and OFL.txt.
3. Windows: right-click the .ttf file and choose Install (or Install for all users).
4. Mac: double-click the file and click Install in Font Book.
5. Restart open apps. The font appears as “Whisper”.

For a website, the same Get font screen gives you embed code, or you can host the .ttf yourself since the OFL allows it. On a phone, apps such as CapCut only show Whisper if they let you import font files.

Using Whisper in Canva

We couldn’t confirm that Whisper is in Canva’s built-in font list, so search the font menu for it first. If it isn’t there, Canva Pro and other paid plans can upload the .ttf through the Brand Kit, and Canva’s upload requirements say a font’s licence must allow embedding. Whisper’s file sets no embedding restrictions, and the OFL allows the upload.

Using Whisper with Cricut

Install Whisper on your computer, restart Cricut Design Space, and pick it from the system fonts list in the font menu. Before cutting, reduce letter spacing until the lowercase letters touch, then use Weld so each word cuts as one piece. Cricut’s guide to Combine, Slice and Weld explains the tool. Whisper’s hairlines are very thin, so cut it large in vinyl or iron-on, or the joins may tear when you weed.

Free fonts similar to Whisper

Whisper is already free, but if you want a slightly different hand for the same job, these Google Fonts are the closest matches. All three use the SIL Open Font License.

• Mrs Saint Delafield: the nearest in mood, a quick, light pen hand with a small x-height and swinging capitals, revived by Sudtipos from 1930s American lettering. Its strokes are finer and its rhythm more uneven, like a real signature, and it has no Vietnamese support.
• Italianno: also by Robert Leuschke, with the same narrow, angular italic feel. Its capitals are plainer and easier to read, so it works better for whole names.
• Allura: another Leuschke script, rounder and more even in stroke, with tidier joins. Pick it when Whisper feels too sketchy for formal invitations.

Among paid scripts we cover, Bickham Script Pro is the classic formal copperplate, Little Promises is a dip-pen script with a personal note feel, and HauteCouture is a signature-style script for logos.

Whisper font FAQ

Is the Whisper font free for commercial use?

Yes. The Google Fonts version is under the SIL Open Font License, which allows commercial use, logos and products you sell. You just can’t sell the font file by itself.

Who designed the Whisper font?

Robert Leuschke, a former Hallmark lettering artist who runs the TypeSETit foundry. He drew it in the early 1990s, and it was released on Google Fonts in 2022.

Is Whisper in Canva?

We couldn’t verify it in Canva’s built-in library. If you don’t find it in the font menu, upload Whisper-Regular.ttf to your Brand Kit on a paid plan; the licence allows it.

Does Whisper have a bold version?

No. Whisper has a single Regular style. For a heavier script, try Allura or another font rather than faking bold.

Can I use Whisper in Cricut Design Space?

Yes. Install it on your computer, then choose it from the system fonts in Design Space. Weld the letters before cutting and keep the text large.

Why can’t I buy Whisper on MyFonts?

The TypeSETit listing on MyFonts says it is no longer available for purchase. The same design is now free on Google Fonts, so there is nothing to buy.