What does the leader feature do when using tab stops?

The leader feature is primarily used to insert visual elements, such as dots or lines, between items in a list or between section headings and page numbers, enhancing the readability and organization of information on a page. This is often seen in tables of contents or in forms where you want to guide the reader's eye along the line of text, making navigation simpler and ensuring that the eye can easily follow along with the information being presented.

Leaders can create a clean and professional look, making it clear how different pieces of information relate to one another, which is particularly useful in documents that require a formal or structured layout. For instance, when using tab stops in Word, you can set a tab stop and apply a leader to create a series of dots leading to a page number, subtly guiding the reader’s focus and visually connecting related pieces of information.