In brief
Kerning is not a general spacing of all letters.
Useful to know
font-kerning manages the use of kerning information in the font. It describes appropriate distances for specific pairs of characters whose shapes may otherwise appear to be too distant or convergent. [1]
Example: .headline { font-kerning: normal; }. The effect depends on the font itself and the available data . letter-spacing changes the distance between characters more generally and solves a different task. Compare with the real title in Bulgarian, not just with a Latin demonstration word. Visual change in one pair does not prove the same result for all symbols.
Sources
For further detail and to check the information: