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You are here: Home / Graphic Design / What Fonts Go With Nunito Sans?

What Fonts Go With Nunito Sans?

January 11, 2026 by Douglas Bonneville

What fonts go with Nunito Sans? This clean, well-balanced sans-serif brings modern approachability that demands companions capable of complementing its friendly character while providing meaningful visual variety.

Nunito Sans was created by Vernon Adams (and later expanded by Jacques Le Bailly) as a sans-serif companion to the rounded Nunito family. Unlike its sibling, Nunito Sans features standard terminals instead of rounded ones, giving it a more neutral, professional appearance while retaining warmth and excellent readability. The family includes 14 weights from ExtraLight to Black with matching italics, making it remarkably flexible for both UI design and long-form reading.

Pairing Nunito Sans means finding fonts that either enhance its friendly neutrality or provide meaningful contrast through serif elegance or display drama. Its balanced proportions and open apertures make it a welcoming partner for many typeface styles. Here are 15 fonts that pair well with Nunito Sans, each chosen to extend its capabilities across different design contexts.

Font Pairings for Nunito Sans

  1. Playfair Display
  2. Lora
  3. Merriweather
  4. Alegreya
  5. Libre Baskerville
  6. Roboto Slab
  7. Poppins
  8. Open Sans
  9. Montserrat
  10. DM Sans
  11. Inter
  12. Bebas Neue
  13. Oswald
  14. Domine
  15. Source Serif Pro

1. Playfair Display

Nunito Sans paired with Playfair Display - Style A showing headline and body text

Playfair Display creates elegant contrast against Nunito Sans’s friendly practicality. Claus Eggers Sørensen’s high-contrast serifs bring editorial sophistication that elevates Nunito Sans’s humble character into something more refined. The dramatic hairline strokes dance beautifully against Nunito Sans’s uniform stroke weight. This pairing excels in lifestyle blogs, boutique branding, and any project where approachable body text needs headlines with gravitas.

Nunito Sans and Playfair Display - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Playfair Display alphabets

2. Lora

Nunito Sans paired with Lora - Style A showing headline and body text

Lora brings calligraphic warmth that harmonizes with Nunito Sans’s friendly disposition. Those brushed curves and moderate contrast create visual dialogue between traditional elegance and modern clarity. Cyreal’s contemporary serif shares Nunito Sans’s commitment to screen readability while adding classical depth. This pairing suits publishing platforms, literary blogs, and content-heavy sites where warmth serves the user experience.

Nunito Sans and Lora - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Lora alphabets

3. Merriweather

Nunito Sans paired with Merriweather - Style A showing headline and body text

Screen-optimized serifs meet screen-friendly sans when Merriweather pairs with Nunito Sans. Both fonts were engineered for digital reading, sharing commitment to legibility across devices. Eben Sorkin’s sturdy serifs provide anchoring headlines while Nunito Sans handles body text with approachable clarity. This pairing works beautifully for blogs, news platforms, and educational content where readability trumps everything.

Nunito Sans and Merriweather - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Merriweather alphabets

4. Alegreya

Nunito Sans paired with Alegreya - Style A showing headline and body text

Alegreya brings dynamic rhythm that enriches Nunito Sans pairings. Juan Pablo del Peral’s calligraphic design features flowing forms that create lively contrast against Nunito Sans’s stable geometry. The result is typography that feels both literary and contemporary—ideal for book publishers, cultural magazines, and storytelling platforms where text deserves to feel alive.

Nunito Sans and Alegreya - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Alegreya alphabets

5. Libre Baskerville

Nunito Sans paired with Libre Baskerville - Style A showing headline and body text

Libre Baskerville introduces Enlightenment elegance to Nunito Sans’s modern friendliness. Pablo Impallari optimized this Baskerville interpretation for screens while maintaining classical refinement. The transitional serifs provide intellectual authority that Nunito Sans’s neutrality welcomes. This pairing excels in academic publishing, professional blogs, and any project bridging traditional credibility with digital accessibility.

Nunito Sans and Libre Baskerville - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Libre Baskerville alphabets

6. Roboto Slab

Nunito Sans paired with Roboto Slab - Style A showing headline and body text

Roboto Slab shares similar design DNA with Nunito Sans—both fonts balance geometric foundations with humanist touches. Christian Robertson’s slab serif provides sturdy headlines that complement Nunito Sans’s body text capabilities. Together they create cohesive systems that feel both contemporary and grounded, ideal for tech companies, news platforms, and applications where mechanical precision needs warmth.

Nunito Sans and Roboto Slab - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Roboto Slab alphabets

7. Poppins

Nunito Sans paired with Poppins - Style A showing headline and body text

The geometric precision of Poppins provides clean contrast against Nunito Sans’s softer character. Indian Type Foundry’s creation brings circular geometry that sharpens layouts without creating visual conflict. Both fonts share commitment to friendly readability while expressing it differently. This pairing suits SaaS products, startup branding, and digital interfaces where modern aesthetics serve user experience.

Nunito Sans and Poppins - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Poppins alphabets

8. Open Sans

Nunito Sans paired with Open Sans - Style A showing headline and body text

Open Sans and Nunito Sans speak similar typographic languages—both humanist sans-serifs optimized for clarity. Steve Matteson’s design provides neutral contrast that lets content shine. While similar in purpose, subtle differences in letterforms create enough distinction for hierarchy. This pairing works everywhere—corporate communications, educational platforms, and any project serving diverse audiences who need comfortable reading.

Nunito Sans and Open Sans - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Open Sans alphabets

9. Montserrat

Nunito Sans paired with Montserrat - Style A showing headline and body text

Montserrat‘s geometric heritage creates visual interest when paired with Nunito Sans’s humanist forms. Julieta Ulanovsky’s tribute to Buenos Aires signage brings urban precision that energizes friendly layouts. The contrast between geometric display and humanist text creates natural hierarchy. This pairing excels in creative portfolios, tech branding, and design-forward projects wanting personality without sacrificing readability.

Nunito Sans and Montserrat - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Montserrat alphabets

10. DM Sans

Nunito Sans paired with DM Sans - Style A showing headline and body text

DM Sans brings geometric sophistication that complements Nunito Sans’s practical friendliness. Colophon Foundry’s design features optical sizing and low contrast that make it equally comfortable in headlines and interfaces. Against Nunito Sans’s warmer character, DM Sans provides contemporary edge. This pairing suits fintech applications, modern dashboards, and digital products where clean aesthetics meet functional design.

Nunito Sans and DM Sans - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and DM Sans alphabets

11. Inter

Nunito Sans paired with Inter - Style A showing headline and body text

Screen-first perfection meets approachable warmth when Inter pairs with Nunito Sans. Rasmus Andersson’s meticulously crafted sans-serif shares Nunito Sans’s commitment to digital readability. Both fonts represent modern typography engineering—making their pairing ideal for applications, design systems, and technical products where typographic quality signals software quality.

Nunito Sans and Inter - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Inter alphabets

12. Bebas Neue

Nunito Sans paired with Bebas Neue - Style A showing headline and body text

Bebas Neue brings condensed drama that transforms Nunito Sans layouts. Ryoichi Tsunekawa’s all-caps display face commands attention in headlines while Nunito Sans maintains comfortable reading in body text. The extreme contrast—narrow and bold versus comfortable and balanced—creates hierarchy that stops scrolling. This pairing suits promotional materials, event branding, and any project where headlines need maximum impact.

Nunito Sans and Bebas Neue - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Bebas Neue alphabets

13. Oswald

Nunito Sans paired with Oswald - Style A showing headline and body text

The condensed proportions of Oswald provide space-efficient headlines that complement Nunito Sans’s generous body text. Vernon Adams redesigned this classic gothic for digital screens, creating display type that works beautifully above Nunito Sans’s comfortable paragraphs. This pairing excels in news platforms, promotional design, and any project where headline real estate is precious.

Nunito Sans and Oswald - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Oswald alphabets

14. Domine

Nunito Sans paired with Domine - Style A showing headline and body text

Domine brings newspaper-inspired authority that grounds Nunito Sans’s friendly neutrality. Pablo Impallari’s design carries editorial credibility optimized for screens, with sturdy serifs that anchor headlines while Nunito Sans handles the body text. This pairing suits news publications, content platforms, and professional blogs where typographic authority enhances content credibility.

Nunito Sans and Domine - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Domine alphabets

15. Source Serif Pro

Nunito Sans paired with Source Serif Pro - Style A showing headline and body text

Source Serif Pro creates systematic harmony with Nunito Sans. Frank Grießhammer’s design shares Adobe’s commitment to thoughtful open-source typography—a philosophy Nunito Sans embodies as well. The transitional serifs provide classical contrast without overwhelming Nunito Sans’s approachable character. This pairing excels in documentation sites, publishing platforms, and any project where systematic design thinking serves content delivery.

Nunito Sans and Source Serif Pro - Style B layout Character specimen showing Nunito Sans and Source Serif Pro alphabets

Conclusion

There are no absolute rules for font pairing, just principles to guide you. The key is contrast—in weight, in style (serif vs. sans-serif), or in personality. Nunito Sans is versatile enough to play well with many different typefaces.

Trust your eye, experiment freely, and remember that the best pairing is the one that serves your content and audience. Typography should enhance communication, not complicate it.

More Font Resources

  • The Big Book of Font Combinations
  • 29 Principles for Making Great Font Combinations

About the Author

Douglas Bonneville is a graphic designer and typographer since 1992. He is the author of The Big Book of Font Combinations and has contributed to numerous design publications. His work focuses on making typography accessible and practical for designers at all levels.

Filed Under: Graphic Design

About Douglas Bonneville

Douglas has been a graphic designer since 1992, in addition to software developer and author. He is a member of Smashing Magazine's "Panel of Experts" and has contributed to over 100 articles. He is the author of "The Big Book of Font Combinations", loves cats, and plays guitar.

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