TL;DR:

Not everyone sees or reads the same way. For some, words shift and dance on the page. For others, colors blur together, making it hard to tell red from green. The good news? A few small changes—like using fonts designed for dyslexia and choosing better color contrast—can make reading easier for millions of people. And when we make things accessible, we make the web better for everyone.

Ever Struggled to Read Something?

Imagine this: You’re trying to read a text message on your phone, but the sun’s so bright you can barely see the screen. Or you’re at a fancy restaurant, staring at a menu in an elegant, curly font, wondering if you just ordered "grilled salmon" or "chilled melon."

Now imagine that’s your daily reality, every time you open a book, an email, or a website.

For millions of people with dyslexia or color blindness, reading online isn’t just inconvenient—it’s frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes impossible. But the best part? We can fix that.

Dyslexia & Fonts: Why Some Words Feel Like a Puzzle

What is Dyslexia, Really?

Dyslexia isn’t about intelligence—it’s about how the brain processes words. It affects 5% to 17% of the population [], meaning millions of people find reading harder than it needs to be.

For someone with dyslexia, reading might feel like: 🔸 Letters swapping places—like “b” and “d” looking identical. 🔸 Words that seem to move or jump across the page. 🔸 A struggle to track lines of text without losing their place.

It’s exhausting. But some fonts actually help.

Fonts That Actually Make a Difference

Some fonts were designed with dyslexia in mind, and they can help make reading easier.

✔ OpenDyslexic – This font has heavier bottoms, which "anchor" letters to keep them from flipping around. ✔ Lexend – Scientifically designed to reduce visual stress and improve reading speed. ✔ Arial & Verdana – Not built specifically for dyslexia, but their clean, simple shapes make them easier to read than most decorative fonts.

Small Tweaks, Big Impact

✅ Use sans-serif fonts – Fancy, decorative fonts are harder to process. ✅ Give letters some breathing room – More space between words and lines makes reading smoother. ✅ Avoid ALL CAPS & italics – They distort letter shapes and slow down reading.

Color Blindness & Typography: When Colors Play Tricks on You

What Color Blindness Actually Feels Like

Color blindness doesn’t mean you see the world in black and white (that’s a myth). Instead, some colors blend together, making it hard to tell them apart. The most common types are:

🔹 Red-Green Color Blindness (Deuteranopia & Protanopia) – Affects up to 8% of men and 0.5% of women []. If you use red and green to show "correct" vs. "incorrect" answers? They might look exactly the same.

🔹 Blue-Yellow Color Blindness (Tritanopia) – Less common, but makes blues and yellows almost indistinguishable.

🔹 Complete Color Blindness (Achromatopsia) – Extremely rare, affecting 1 in 30,000 people [], where everything is seen in shades of gray.

Designing for Color-Blind Users

🚫 Red and green alone? Bad idea. 🚫 Blue and purple? Might as well be the same color. 🚫 Light gray text on a white background? Nearly invisible.

How to Fix It

✅ Use high contrast – Dark text on a light background works best. ✅ Don’t rely on color alone – Use patterns, icons, or labels too. ✅ Test your design – Tools like Color Oracle or Toptal’s Color Blindness Filter let you see your website how a color-blind user would.

FAQ: Making Text More Accessible

Q1: What’s the best font for dyslexia?

OpenDyslexic and Lexend are great, but some dyslexic users also prefer simple, clean fonts like Arial or Verdana.

Q2: Are serif fonts bad for dyslexia?

Not always, but the extra strokes on each letter can make words harder to distinguish.

Q3: Can different fonts help with color blindness?

Not directly, but good contrast and clear, readable fonts make text much easier to read.

Q4: How do I check if my design is color-blind-friendly?

Try tools like Color Oracle, Toptal’s Color Blindness Filter, or Chrome DevTools’ color vision simulator.

Q5: What contrast ratio should text have?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend: ✅ 4.5:1 for normal text ✅ 3:1 for large text (18pt+ regular or 14pt+ bold)

Small Changes, Big Impact

Let’s be real—accessibility helps everyone.

• High-contrast text makes reading easier for everyone, especially in bright sunlight.

• Good fonts reduce eye strain, whether you have dyslexia or you’re just tired.

• Thoughtful design choices make websites clearer, cleaner, and easier to use for everyone.

It’s not just about being nice—it’s about good design.

So, whether you're building a website, writing a blog, or just picking a font for your next project, remember: your choices matter.

Let’s make the web a place where everyone can read, learn, and connect—without struggling.

Because good design should work for all of us. 🚀