How to Use Different Font Sizes for Urdu and English Text in Word
Question details
The user needs to apply different font sizes to Urdu and English text appearing within the same document or paragraph.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Formatting a bilingual document that contains both Urdu headings/paragraphs and English technical terms.
- Observed behavior
- Paragraph styles in Word cannot automatically apply different font sizes based solely on the detected language, requiring a workaround to format both languages correctly.
Ensure both your preferred Urdu and English fonts are properly installed on your system and that you have enabled the Styles pane in your Word document.
Combine Paragraph Styles with Character Styles
Use a base paragraph style to format the Urdu text and a specialized character style to target and format the English text independently.
A single paragraph style applies uniform formatting to an entire block of text, meaning it cannot natively switch font sizes based on the language used. To solve this, you can layer a character style over your base paragraph style. This allows the English words to retain a specific size (like 15-point) while the rest of the Urdu paragraph follows the primary formatting rules.
Select the entire paragraph containing your text. From the Home tab, apply a standard Paragraph Style (like Normal or Heading 1). Modify this style to use your preferred Urdu font and size.
Open the Styles pane by clicking the small arrow icon in the bottom right corner of the Styles group on the Home tab. Click 'New Style' at the bottom of the pane.
In the 'Create New Style from Formatting' dialog, name your style (e.g., 'English Terms'). Change the 'Style type' dropdown from Paragraph to 'Character'.
Under the Formatting section, choose your preferred English font and set the size to 15-point. Click 'Format' at the bottom left, select 'Language', and ensure 'English' is selected as the proofing language. Click OK to save.
Highlight only the English words within your Urdu paragraph. Click the newly created 'English Terms' character style in the Styles pane to apply the specific font size and formatting.
Format Bilingual Documents Seamlessly with WPS Writer
WPS Writer offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate Styles pane, making it incredibly simple to combine paragraph and character styles for complex multilingual documents. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Word files.
- 1. Open your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your bilingual document.
- 2. Access the Styles Pane: Navigate to the Home tab and click the Styles and Formatting icon to open the right-side panel.
- 3. Set Base Formatting: Right-click the 'Normal' style to modify it, setting your desired Urdu font and size as the default.
- 4. Create an English Character Style: Click 'New Style' in the panel, select 'Character' as the style type, and input your specific English font and size preferences.
- 5. Apply Formatting: Select the English text in your document and click your new character style to instantly update its size and font.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I automatically change the font size when I switch keyboard languages?
No, Word does not automatically change font sizes based on your keyboard input language. You must apply a specific style or manually adjust the font size after typing the text.
Why doesn't modifying the Complex Scripts font size change my English text?
Complex Scripts settings in the Font dialog specifically target right-to-left languages like Urdu, Arabic, or Hebrew. English text is governed by the standard Latin text settings, which must be configured separately.
Can I use Find and Replace to apply styles to all English text at once?
Yes. You can press Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace. Click 'More', use the 'Format' button to find text written in a specific English font or language, and set the 'Replace with' field to apply your newly created English character style.
