How to Customise Text for Dyslexia: A Practical Guide

Reading can be exhausting when you have dyslexia. Letters swap around, words blur together, and a page of standard text feels like climbing a mountain. The good news: customising text makes a real difference. Whether you're a dyslexic reader, a parent supporting your child, or a teacher designing materials, small changes to how text looks can unlock better focus and faster comprehension.

This guide shows you practical ways to customise text for dyslexia, from simple formatting tweaks you can do right now to digital tools that automate the work.

Use a Dyslexia-Friendly Font

Not all fonts are equal. Standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman can make letters harder to distinguish for dyslexic readers. Certain letters look too similar (like 'b' and 'd' or 'p' and 'q'), which slows reading and increases mistakes.

Dyslexia-friendly fonts have distinctive letterforms. Each letter is clearly different, with weighted bottoms, open shapes, and reduced visual confusion. Popular options include:

OpenDyslexic: Free, open-source, and specifically designed for dyslexic readers. Dyslexie: Premium font with extensive research backing. Lexie Readable: Clean, modern, and highly legible. Atkinson Hyperlegible: Free font created by the Braille Institute.

To apply a dyslexia-friendly font, you can change your system font in many devices, use a browser extension like Dyslexly, or download the font and use it in word processors and design tools. If you're a teacher or content creator, embedding these fonts in digital documents or websites ensures they display correctly for everyone.

Increase Spacing Around Letters and Lines

Crowded text is the enemy of dyslexic reading. When letters sit too close together or lines stack without breathing room, your eye struggles to track and separate individual words.

Increase letter spacing (also called tracking) to 0.15em or higher. This creates clear separation between characters. Line spacing of 1.5 to 2.0 gives your eye room to move smoothly down the page without jumping lines. Word spacing should be noticeably wider than a single letter width.

In Microsoft Word: Select your text, go to Home, click the spacing button, and choose "Expanded". Adjust line spacing from the paragraph menu.

On websites: Use CSS properties like letter-spacing, line-height, and word-spacing to adjust spacing globally. Extensions like Dyslexly apply these changes across websites automatically, saving you time.

In Google Docs: Select text, click Format, then Line spacing and increase to double spacing. For letter spacing, use Format > Text > Letter spacing and set a custom value.

Small spacing changes make an immediate, measurable difference in reading speed and comfort.

Apply Colour Overlays and Adjust Background Colour

Some dyslexic readers experience visual stress when reading black text on white backgrounds. The high contrast can cause glare, making words appear to move or blur. Colour overlays reduce this strain.

Many dyslexic readers find that tinted backgrounds help. Common choices include:

Light blue: Calming and reduces glare for many readers. Cream or off-white: Softens the contrast without strong colour. Light green: Another popular choice that reduces visual stress. Light yellow: Works well for some, though others find it too warm.

You can:

Change the background colour in your document. In Word, go to Layout > Colours, or in Google Docs, use File > Page colour. Adjust text colour to dark grey instead of pure black. This reduces contrast without losing readability. Use a physical colour overlay (tinted plastic sheet placed over printed pages). Use digital overlays through browser extensions or accessibility settings. Dyslexly includes colour overlay functionality, letting you apply different tint colours across the web without manual adjustment each time.

Testing is key. Different colours work for different people. Try several options and stick with what feels most comfortable.

Break Text into Smaller Chunks

Dyslexic readers often struggle with long blocks of dense text. Breaking content into smaller, manageable pieces reduces cognitive load and maintains focus.

Practical strategies:

Use short paragraphs of 3-4 sentences instead of long blocks. Add descriptive subheadings to guide the reader and break visual monotony. Use bullet points or numbered lists instead of paragraphs when listing related items. Increase margins and white space around text. A page that feels "breathing room" is easier to navigate. Limit line length to 50-70 characters. Long lines force your eye to travel too far, increasing the chance of losing your place.

For digital content, this matters even more. A mobile-friendly layout with narrow columns, clear headings, and white space is naturally more dyslexia-friendly than a dense desktop layout. If you're creating documents or websites, prioritise readability over fitting more text on the page.

Enable Text-to-Speech and Simplify Language

Reading text whilst hearing it spoken aloud helps many dyslexic readers. Audio reinforcement strengthens comprehension and catches mistakes your eyes miss. When you hear and read simultaneously, your brain processes information through multiple channels, improving retention.

Built-in options exist across devices: Windows Narrator, Mac VoiceOver, iOS VoiceOver, and Android TalkBack all read text aloud. Browser extensions like Dyslexly add text-to-speech with customisable reading speed and highlighting, making it easy to follow along.

Alongside audio support, simplifying language itself helps. Use clear, direct sentences instead of complex structures. Replace jargon with everyday words. Break complex sentences into shorter ones. This isn't about dumbing down content, it's about clarity. Even non-dyslexic readers appreciate simpler language.

Use Consistent Formatting Throughout

Inconsistent formatting confuses dyslexic readers. If font, spacing, or colour changes randomly, your brain spends energy decoding the visual variation instead of understanding the content.

Establish consistent formatting rules:

Use the same font throughout a document (pick one dyslexia-friendly option and stick with it). Keep spacing consistent across all paragraphs and sections. Use a limited colour palette. Stick to one text colour, one background colour, and a third colour for highlights or links. Format headings consistently. Make all level 2 headings the same size, colour, and style. Use consistent bullet point and numbering styles.

Consistency reduces cognitive strain. Your brain learns the pattern and reads faster because it isn't constantly reinterpreting visual formatting.

If you're a teacher or content creator, check out Dyslexly for schools, which helps you apply these principles across student materials and communication.

Test and Adjust Based on Individual Needs

Every dyslexic person is different. What works brilliantly for one reader might not help another. The customisation that suits you might not suit your classmate.

Start with one change (perhaps font or spacing) and use it for a few days. Notice whether reading feels easier, faster, or less tiring. Then add another change (colour overlay, text-to-speech). Track what combination works best.

Ask for feedback. If you're a student, tell your teacher which settings help. If you're a parent, watch how your child responds to different customisations. If you're a teacher, offer options to students and let them choose what feels comfortable.

Digital tools speed this up. Rather than manually adjusting every document, you can apply multiple customisations at once through accessibility software. This consistency across everything you read (websites, PDFs, emails, news articles) trains your brain and reduces the effort spent on decoding text format.

Conclusion

Customising text for dyslexia isn't optional. It's a practical tool that removes barriers to reading and learning. Whether through dyslexia-friendly fonts, increased spacing, colour overlays, shorter chunks, text-to-speech, or consistent formatting, these changes work. You'll read faster, understand better, and feel less fatigued. The best approach combines several strategies tailored to your needs. Start today with one small change. You'll notice the difference immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best dyslexia-friendly font? OpenDyslexic and Dyslexie are both excellent. OpenDyslexic is free and open-source, whilst Dyslexie is premium. Atkinson Hyperlegible and Lexie Readable are also highly recommended. The best font is whichever one feels most comfortable to you personally, so try a few options.

How much spacing do I need for dyslexia? Line spacing of 1.5 to 2.0 is a good starting point, with letter spacing of at least 0.15em. Word spacing should be noticeably wider than a single character width. Start here and adjust based on how comfortable the text feels to read.

Can colour overlays really help? Yes. Many dyslexic readers experience visual stress from high contrast. Tinted backgrounds (light blue, cream, or light green) can reduce glare and improve reading comfort. However, not everyone benefits equally, so it's worth testing different colours.

Is text-to-speech cheating? Absolutely not. Text-to-speech is an accessibility tool, like glasses for vision problems. Using audio support alongside reading strengthens comprehension and reduces fatigue. It's a legitimate strategy for managing dyslexia, not a shortcut.

Can teachers require students to use standard formatting? No. In most countries, schools have a legal responsibility to provide reasonable adjustments for dyslexic students. Customised text formatting is a standard, evidence-based accommodation. If a teacher refuses to allow it, speak to the school's SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) or accessibility officer.