IE8 Bold Text Bug Demo

(Note: Fixed in IE8 Beta 2.)

IE8 Beta 1 sometimes makes text bold for no apparent reason, even when there are no bold styles applied, nor <b> or <strong> elements used in the code. This demo shows the bug in action. In the form below the last two lines of text are bold when they shouldn't be. If you remove any of the buttons or the input from the code, the bold text becomes normal (non-bold) again.

Update 12th March 2008: On further testing I found that IE8 isn't applying the same bold style you get with code, but appears to be adding to the weight of the font itself, as if an extra layer of characters has been overlaid on top, offput slightly to one side.

Compare the lines of text below noting the following points:

  1. Normal text (no bold style applied in the code or by IE8)
  2. Bold elements added in the code surrounding the line of text
  3. IE8 boldness in effect! There are no bold elements or styles used in the code for this line.
  4. Maximum boldness! The text has been set to bold and IE8 has also added a bold effect.
Legend text here. 1. ABCDEFGHIJ klmno pqr st uvw x yz. 1234567890 !"£$%^&*()
2. ABCDEFGHIJ klmno pqr st uvw x yz. 1234567890 !"£$%^&*()
3. ABCDEFGHIJ klmno pqr st uvw x yz. 1234567890 !"£$%^&*()
4. ABCDEFGHIJ klmno pqr st uvw x yz. 1234567890 !"£$%^&*()

Note also how this text after the form is not bold. Also how the input buttons don't line up with the text field. That's a new effect or bug I've yet to figure out.

The bug also occurs in my Automatic Image Resizing Demo which doesn't have any form elements present. The first line of text at the top is normal, while later lines are all bold.

Lastly, here's a screenshot of this demo as seen in IE8 Beta 1 on Windows XP.

By Christopher Hester 10th March 2008 · Last updated: 12th March 2008