A proportional (regular) typeface draws i narrower than m, giving text a natural rhythm. Monospace forces every glyph to the same width instead — a typewriter legacy that makes vertical columns line up exactly, which is why it suits tables and code.
Widely used in code editors, terminals, and tabular numbers (prices, timestamps). Where only digits need to align — receipts, dashboard metrics — `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` is a lighter-weight compromise that keeps prose proportional.
On the web, `ui-monospace` (the OS's built-in monospace, e.g. SF Mono on macOS) needs no font loading; fall back to `Menlo`, `Consolas`, `monospace`.
When to use
Use for code, terminal output, and tabular figures that must align by column. Avoid for regular prose — it reads more slowly.