As designers, developers, programmers or the every day joe we’ve all come across this common problem. You’ve been browsing through your favorite websites and found one that uses a font you love and must have there and then… but how do you go about finding out what that font is called?

One option would be to email the site and just ask for the name of the font and where to get it. But what are the chances of that and if there was one this can take some time. Instead we’ve pulled together a list of FREE online tools to help out in that search for the “font” of your life.

1. What The Font (MyFonts Beta)

This site has been developed by one of the largest font providers, and recently been through a refresh. WhatTheFont is probably the number one place to come to when identifying a font. Simply upload an image of the font that you want to ID or specify a URL and the system will show you multiple font results. If it’s unable to find it, it will prompt you to go to their Font Forum where you can post the image and wait for feedback from font experts as to what that font may be called. A great online tool and one that we’ve used in the past.

WhatTheFont

2. Identifont

This site uses a different approach and finds your fonts by asking a number of questions about the font. This one is very useful if you do not have an image of the font you’re looking for. It looks a bit confusing and may not work for everyone but the service claims to be ‘the largest independent directory of typefaces on the Internet, with information about fonts from 534 publishers and 143 vendors’.

Identifont

3. Bowfint

This site offers multiple online tools to help you find that font and offers a huge amount of information and works by simply asking and answering questions on the shape of the glyphs of the font. It’s similar to Identifont, but quicker and easier to use by including all of the input data on one page.

Bowfint

4. TypeNavigator

Developed by the guys at Fontshop, this site uses a question and answer system about the shape of each character.

TypeNavigator

5. Message Boards: Typophile

One of the largest community of font experts, get your answers by posting an image of the font you’re looking for in their forum. If your unsuccessful there, most font sites (usually the free font sites) have message boards where you can post questions and images about the fonts that you’re looking for.

Typophile

6. Flickr Typeface Identification

flickr has a group dedicated to identifying fonts and another that showcases fonts used in different images called Fonts in Use which can be useful for quick reference.

Flickr Typeface Identification