What it does
Ligature Symbols is a FontForge-built icon font using ligature substitution and CSS pseudo-elements to display named symbols.
Ligature Symbols renders readable symbol names through a webfont. A simple mail link can contain the word mail and receive the font class, while an icon-plus-text pattern puts the symbol in a pseudo-element before the visible link wording.
The supplied CSS defines the font files and reads the title attribute for that pseudo-element. Its spacing and font-size settings can be adapted to the surrounding text. This is a compact approach for maintaining a site that already uses ligature-font markup.
Rendering depends on the font loading and the browser's ligature behavior. Keep meaningful link text when the symbol is decorative so the action does not rely solely on a glyph. The font is available at no charge under SIL OFL; its redistribution terms apply to the font software itself.
Strengths
- Symbol names can be rendered through a simple ligature-font pattern.
- Icon-plus-text markup and font setup are documented.
Watch out for
- Rendering depends on the webfont and ligature behavior.
Best for
- Small sites maintaining ligature-based icon markup
Sources
- Ligature Symbols README (Oct 27, 2026)