FrontendHaltPerformance·Intermediate·Conceptual·1 min read
What is the 'font stack' fallback and why does the first fallback choice matter?
Short interview answer
It's the ordered list of families in font-family. The first available fallback is what users see until the web font loads and, with optional, possibly permanently, so it should be a system font whose metrics are close to the web font to minimize the visual jump.
Key takeaway
Explain the underlying mental model clearly, then support it with a concrete example and its trade-offs.