diff --git a/src/render/katerenderer.cpp b/src/render/katerenderer.cpp
--- a/src/render/katerenderer.cpp
+++ b/src/render/katerenderer.cpp
@@ -946,10 +946,9 @@
 
 void KateRenderer::updateFontHeight()
 {
-    // use height of font + round down, ensure we have at least one pixel
-    // we round down to avoid artifacts: line height too large vs. qt background rendering of text attributes
-    const qreal height = config()->fontMetrics().height();
-    m_fontHeight = qMax(1, qFloor(height));
+    // ensure minimal height of one pixel to not fall in the div by 0 trap somewhere
+    // use font line spacing, this includes the leading
+    m_fontHeight = qMax(1, qCeil(config()->fontMetrics().lineSpacing()));
 }
 
 void KateRenderer::updateMarkerSize()
@@ -1031,6 +1030,9 @@
             line.setLineWidth(maxwidth);
         }
 
+        // we include the leading, this must match the ::updateFontHeight code!
+        line.setLeadingIncluded(true);
+
         line.setPosition(QPoint(line.lineNumber() ? shiftX : 0, height));
 
         if (needShiftX && line.width() > 0)