ABSTRACT
“Tall Man” lettering is a capitalization scheme that is often used in presentation of medication names, but which can also be useful in other applications. When displaying a word that looks or sounds like another word, use Tall Man lettering to make the word appear more distinct and less likely to be mistaken for its look-alike. Tall Man lettering might also help differentiate similar words for individuals with vision impairments. When using Tall Man lettering, capitalization should be applied to the letters that distinguish each name to emphasize the differences. The use of Tall Man lettering is encouraged by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). As part of project, the FDA identified many look-alike name pairs and then sent letters to the drug manufacturers encouraging them to revise their labeling to include Tall Man lettering. In 2001, the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs launched the “Name Differentiation Project” in an attempt “to minimize medication errors resulting from look-alike confusion.”.
