diff --git a/src_c/_freetype.c b/src_c/_freetype.c
index 3ee6241e05..7953dbd6e4 100644
--- a/src_c/_freetype.c
+++ b/src_c/_freetype.c
@@ -30,9 +30,17 @@
 #define MODULE_NAME "_freetype"
 #define FONT_TYPE_NAME "Font"
 
+#define DEFAULT_FONT_NAME "freesans"
+#define DEFAULT_FONT_FILE "freesansbold.ttf"
+#define PKGDATA_MODULE_NAME "pygame.pkgdata"
+#define RESOURCE_FUNC_NAME "getResource"
+
 /*
  * FreeType module declarations
  */
+
+PyObject *_freetypemodule = NULL;
+
 static const Scale_t FACE_SIZE_NONE = {0, 0};
 
 static int
@@ -210,10 +218,6 @@ free_string(PGFT_String *);
         _var = PyObject_IsTrue(_pyobj);                        \
     }
 
-#define DEFAULT_FONT_NAME "freesansbold.ttf"
-#define PKGDATA_MODULE_NAME "pygame.pkgdata"
-#define RESOURCE_FUNC_NAME "getResource"
-
 static unsigned int current_freetype_generation = 0;
 
 #define FreetypeFont_GenerationCheck(x) \
@@ -705,7 +709,11 @@ _ftfont_init(pgFontObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds)
     SDL_RWops *source;
 
     FreeTypeInstance *ft;
+#if defined(__EMSCRIPTEN__)
+    ft = FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(_freetypemodule)->freetype;
+#else
     ASSERT_GRAB_FREETYPE(ft, -1);
+#endif
 
     if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "O|O&lIi", kwlist, &file,
                                      obj_to_scale, (void *)&face_size,
@@ -739,7 +747,7 @@ _ftfont_init(pgFontObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds)
         self->resolution = FREETYPE_STATE->resolution;
     }
     if (file == Py_None) {
-        file = load_font_res(DEFAULT_FONT_NAME);
+        file = load_font_res(DEFAULT_FONT_FILE);
 
         if (!file) {
             PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "Failed to find default font");
@@ -2219,6 +2227,14 @@ _ft_get_error(PyObject *self, PyObject *_null)
     Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
+#if defined(__EMSCRIPTEN__)
+static PyObject *
+_ft_get_version(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+    return Py_BuildValue("iii", FREETYPE_MAJOR, FREETYPE_MINOR,
+                         FREETYPE_PATCH);
+}
+#else
 static PyObject *
 _ft_get_version(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
@@ -2265,6 +2281,7 @@ _ft_get_version(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
                              FREETYPE_PATCH);
     }
 }
+#endif  // defined(__EMSCRIPTEN__)
 
 static PyObject *
 _ft_get_cache_size(PyObject *self, PyObject *_null)
@@ -2304,7 +2321,7 @@ _ft_get_init(PyObject *self, PyObject *_null)
 static PyObject *
 _ft_get_default_font(PyObject *self, PyObject *_null)
 {
-    return PyUnicode_FromString(DEFAULT_FONT_NAME);
+    return PyUnicode_FromString(DEFAULT_FONT_FILE);
 }
 
 static int
@@ -2327,13 +2344,13 @@ _ft_clear(PyObject *mod)
  * FREETYPE MODULE DECLARATION
  ****************************************************/
 #ifndef PYPY_VERSION
-struct PyModuleDef _freetypemodule = {
+struct PyModuleDef _freetypemoduledef = {
     PyModuleDef_HEAD_INIT,  MODULE_NAME, DOC_FREETYPE,
     sizeof(_FreeTypeState), _ft_methods, 0,
     _ft_traverse,           _ft_clear,   0};
 #else  /* PYPY_VERSION */
 _FreeTypeState _modstate;
-struct PyModuleDef _freetypemodule = {
+struct PyModuleDef _freetypemoduledef = {
     PyModuleDef_HEAD_INIT,
     MODULE_NAME,
     DOC_FREETYPE,
@@ -2347,7 +2364,7 @@ struct PyModuleDef _freetypemodule = {
 
 MODINIT_DEFINE(_freetype)
 {
-    PyObject *module, *apiobj;
+    PyObject *apiobj;
     static void *c_api[PYGAMEAPI_FREETYPE_NUMSLOTS];
 
     import_pygame_base();
@@ -2380,27 +2397,28 @@ MODINIT_DEFINE(_freetype)
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    module = PyModule_Create(&_freetypemodule);
+    _freetypemodule = PyModule_Create(&_freetypemoduledef);
 
-    if (!module) {
+    if (!_freetypemodule) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(module)->freetype = 0;
-    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(module)->cache_size = 0;
-    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(module)->resolution = PGFT_DEFAULT_RESOLUTION;
+    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(_freetypemodule)->freetype = 0;
+    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(_freetypemodule)->cache_size = 0;
+    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(_freetypemodule)->resolution = PGFT_DEFAULT_RESOLUTION;
 
     Py_INCREF(&pgFont_Type);
-    if (PyModule_AddObject(module, FONT_TYPE_NAME, (PyObject *)&pgFont_Type)) {
+    if (PyModule_AddObject(_freetypemodule, FONT_TYPE_NAME,
+                           (PyObject *)&pgFont_Type)) {
         Py_DECREF(&pgFont_Type);
-        Py_DECREF(module);
+        Py_DECREF(_freetypemodule);
         return NULL;
     }
 
-#define DEC_CONST(x)                                        \
-    if (PyModule_AddIntConstant(module, #x, (int)FT_##x)) { \
-        Py_DECREF(module);                                  \
-        return NULL;                                        \
+#define DEC_CONST(x)                                                 \
+    if (PyModule_AddIntConstant(_freetypemodule, #x, (int)FT_##x)) { \
+        Py_DECREF(_freetypemodule);                                  \
+        return NULL;                                                 \
     }
 
     DEC_CONST(STYLE_NORMAL);
@@ -2423,11 +2441,11 @@ MODINIT_DEFINE(_freetype)
     c_api[1] = &pgFont_New;
 
     apiobj = encapsulate_api(c_api, "freetype");
-    if (PyModule_AddObject(module, PYGAMEAPI_LOCAL_ENTRY, apiobj)) {
+    if (PyModule_AddObject(_freetypemodule, PYGAMEAPI_LOCAL_ENTRY, apiobj)) {
         Py_XDECREF(apiobj);
-        Py_DECREF(module);
+        Py_DECREF(_freetypemodule);
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    return module;
+    return _freetypemodule;
 }
diff --git a/src_c/freetype/ft_wrap.h b/src_c/freetype/ft_wrap.h
index 5fc059e556..034cccff01 100644
--- a/src_c/freetype/ft_wrap.h
+++ b/src_c/freetype/ft_wrap.h
@@ -232,9 +232,10 @@ typedef struct {
 } _FreeTypeState;
 
 #if !defined(PYPY_VERSION)
-extern struct PyModuleDef _freetypemodule;
+extern struct PyModuleDef _freetypemoduledef;
 #define FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(mod) ((_FreeTypeState *)PyModule_GetState(mod))
-#define FREETYPE_STATE FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(PyState_FindModule(&_freetypemodule))
+#define FREETYPE_STATE \
+    FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(PyState_FindModule(&_freetypemoduledef))
 #else /* defined(PYPY_VERSION) */
 extern _FreeTypeState _modstate;
 #define FREETYPE_MOD_STATE(mod) (&_modstate)
diff --git a/src_py/freetype.py b/src_py/freetype.py
index 6c8dc0e4e2..d981a9ae06 100644
--- a/src_py/freetype.py
+++ b/src_py/freetype.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 
 
 def SysFont(name, size, bold=False, italic=False, constructor=None):
-    """pygame.ftfont.SysFont(name, size, bold=False, italic=False, constructor=None) -> Font
+    """pygame.freetype.SysFont(name, size, bold=False, italic=False, constructor=None) -> Font
     Create a pygame Font from system font resources.
 
     This will search the system fonts for the given font
diff --git a/src_py/sysfont.py b/src_py/sysfont.py
index cc05f983d8..59f0155b88 100644
--- a/src_py/sysfont.py
+++ b/src_py/sysfont.py
@@ -203,14 +203,40 @@ def initsysfonts_darwin():
     return fonts
 
 
-# read the fonts on unix
+# read the fonts on posix/unix
 def initsysfonts_unix(path="fc-list"):
-    """use the fc-list from fontconfig to get a list of fonts"""
+    """if not embedded, use the fc-list from fontconfig to get a list of fonts"""
     fonts = {}
 
-    if sys.platform == "emscripten":
+    # these are embedded and cannot get os to list fonts a simple way.
+    if hasattr(sys, "getandroidapilevel") or sys.platform == "emscripten":
+        from pathlib import Path
+
+        # default font
+        import importlib.resources
+        import pygame
+
+        entry = importlib.resources.files(pygame) / "freesansbold.ttf"
+        _parse_font_entry_unix(f"{entry}: FreeSans:style=Bold", fonts)
+
+        # cache in search order  main script folder, then /tmp
+        main = __import__("__main__")
+        if hasattr(main, "__file__"):
+            fc_cache = Path(main.__file__).parent / "fc_cache"
+        else:
+            fc_cache = Path(__import__("tempfile").gettempdir()) / "fc_cache"
+
+        if fc_cache.is_file():
+            with open(fc_cache, "rb") as file:
+                for entry in file.read().decode("utf-8").splitlines():
+                    _parse_font_entry_unix(entry, fonts)
+        else:
+            warnings.warn(f"no fc_cache font cache file at {fc_cache}")
+
         return fonts
 
+    # fallback to os support
+
     try:
         proc = subprocess.run(
             [path, ":", "file", "family", "style"],