Word Spacing too tight in Illustrator 2021

[FSavl]

I've recently updated from Illustrator 2018 to 2021 and I've noticed with all documents, the word spacing seems to be way too tight.  This happens with new documents, but even when I open files that were created in Ai2018 to edit the text in Ai2021, it tightens up the spaces between all the words when I click on live text.  This happens on all fonts that I have tested.  

Text seems to at least LOOK normal again when I set the word spacing to 200% in the paragraph justification settings, or if I just hit the spacebar 2 times insteaf of once (lol), but I shouldn't have to do that with every new document.  Those settings in my 2018 version always remained at default and I never had an issue.

Here's what Ai2021 looks like with "default" word spacing, and what 200% looks like (which I think looks normal):

If there are any settings I'm unaware of that can be changed to resolve this issue, I'd be happy to hear them.

Thanks!

[Met1]

Which version are you using? there was an issue with tracking in some recent update that was fixed in a subsequent update.

If you are using the very latest version that "bug" may have been re-introduced...

[FSavl]

version 25.3.1, which says "up to date" on my end.

[default7uzhy4iooly5]

Hi Evan

I'm having exactly the same issue after updating to 25.3.1 twelve days ago it is affecting all art text elements created this month That I need to do authors corrections too and is a massive problem

any news on a resolution to this?

[default7uzhy4iooly5]

The Only Work around to solve the word spacing problem was to Downgrade to illustrator V25.2.3

otherwise it was impossible to produce print worthy files

[KShinabery212]

What are you doing with text?

Just out of curiosity.

I am not experiencing it.

But for the most part, I only use text in InDesign.

All is good on my end.

[default7uzhy4iooly5]

Using it in Signage artwork. text lines of five words have No word space

banner headers with 2 words run together

quite often the text is then outlined and editted for effects but now looks wrong and illegible

see examples below of recent result from same file after update

[Doug A Roberts]

What operating system are you using?

I created new documents with each built-in document profile in Illustrator 25.3.1 on Windows 10, and experienced normal spacing in all of them.

[default7uzhy4iooly5]

Macbook pro OS 10.15.7