Names & Typography
arial
Computer-generated voice, not a recording. It may differ from the pronunciation guide.
In short
Arial is the name of a widely used sans-serif typeface. It is easy to confuse its spelling with Ariel, a personal and fictional-character name, or with aerial, meaning related to the air.
01 Meaning
What does arial mean?
Meaning in context
Arial, Ariel and aerial are different spellings and meanings; pronunciation can overlap depending on accent.
Easy distinction
Arial is a font name; Ariel names a character in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. In the puzzle, ARIAL is a sound-alike clue, not the character’s actual spelling.
02 Word origin
Where does it come from?
The typeface name Arial was created by Monotype; it is a proper name, not the ordinary adjective aerial.
03 In context
How to use it in a sentence
“The designer changed the headings to Arial.”
“Arial, Ariel and aerial are different spellings and meanings; pronunciation can overlap depending on accent.”
Sources and updates
- arial, Wiktionary. Checked October 20, 2026.
Definitions and examples are written in our own words from the sources above. Published .