An orphan is the first line of a paragraph left alone at the bottom of a page or column, with the rest of the paragraph pushed to the next one. It breaks the continuity of reading and is considered a typesetting error.
Where to see it
An orphan can be spotted at the bottom of a book page or a newspaper column, when a single line of a new paragraph appears there on its own. Layout software can prevent it with keep-lines-together options, and the CSS orphans property plays the same role on the web.
Why this detail matters
Fixing orphans contributes to fluid reading and a well-balanced page:
- A lone line at the bottom of a page introduces a paragraph the reader must immediately leave, which breaks the thread of reading;
- It weakens the structure of the page, giving the impression of an unfinished or poorly fitted text block;
- It is fixed by keeping at least two lines together at the bottom of the page, or by slightly adjusting the leading, the letter spacing or the length of a nearby line.
Related term
A widow is the last line of a paragraph left alone at the top of a page or column; it is fixed with the same settings.