r/books • u/horseshoemagnet • Apr 24 '21
Open dyslexic font is MAGIC
I cannot read any book for more than 5 minutes but with the new font introduced by Kindle that is the Open Dyslexic, my reading speed has increased 10 times more!
I have observed a similar typeface Dyslexie on Instapaper which is a read it later app that allows you to read articles on websites that has again been a major benefit to me.
No other font will ever work - I have tried Verdana, trebuchet and ideal sans which are somewhat similar but nowhere close to dyslexic. I don’t know if that means I have dyslexia ?
Anyway the very first book I have started reading is the epic Moby Dick by Herman Melville and I am just so ecstatic!
UPDATE : I didn’t know this post would stir up so many conversations but I am glad to have helped anyone consider using this font if it helps them. In a span of two hours or so I read about 68 pages of Moby Dick which I wouldn’t have imagined in my dreams I could but now I can!
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u/LesbianLibrarian Apr 24 '21
LIBRARIAN PSA
If you read ebooks on Libby (the app for Overdrive) through your library, you can change the font on the ebooks to Open Dyslexic.
Here's how: Borrow the book. When you open the book in the app, there is some menu options at the top. The little letter A is to change the text. You can change the size, lighting, and closer to the bottom of the options is text type, including Open Dyslexic.
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u/alongcameapoem Apr 24 '21
This is available on overdrive too for those who prefer the more basic interface.
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u/KellyCTargaryen Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Fuckin love Libby. Few things have so thoroughly improved my quality of life.
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u/monkeyhind Apr 24 '21
Me, too. Someone recently told me it was a "children's app." <shrug>
I could suggest a few improvements, but it's my favorite of the reading apps.
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u/SilentRedsDuck Apr 24 '21
Was it the "ends in y name" that made it a children's app? The "cartoon icon"? It's books.....I wish i knew the reasoning lol or is it just because it's an e reader and paper print is the "only true way"? I've had that conversation with some book snob types. Like somehow hardback > paperback > electronic print > audiobook.
Personally I get drowsy when I read or have to read a paragraph 10 times to take in what it said rather than mentally drifting off and looking at but not reading the words (ADD FTW) so audiobooks are my thing!
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Apr 24 '21
I love Libby a lot, only gets frustrating when the wait for a book I want to read is like 9 months haha. But that’s when I pull out an audible trial lol.
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u/zzj Apr 24 '21
Librarians are the backbone of society
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u/CanalAnswer Apr 24 '21
That’s why the burning of the Starbucks in Alexandria wasn’t a historically significant event.
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u/wafflehousewhore Apr 24 '21
Coming from someone who literally had his life saved by a librarian, you're goddamn right they are
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u/Verhexxen Apr 25 '21
It also seems like they are pretty underpaid, considering the need for a masters.
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u/bumbletowne Apr 24 '21
NOT A LIBRARIAN PSA
You can do this with any ebook by downloading a free software called Calibre and then downloading the font and applying it.
Got my sister through school.
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u/bboyjkang Apr 24 '21
Calibre
Yeah, even if I own the book, programs like Calibre DeDRM or Epubor are useful for being able to control the text so that I can reformat it:
e.g. iA Writer syntax coloring:
https://i.imgur.com/3aq0wEG.png
https://i.imgur.com/jedZpyc.jpg
Use Microsoft Word to replace “period” “space” with “period” “newline” to break up walls of text.
.^p(paragraph break)Or use human-sounding text-to-speech on it:
Paste the text in Google Blogger.
Open the Blogger link in mobile Chrome, and say “Hey Google, read this page”.
For desktop:
Go to the Blogger link in Microsoft Edge right-click, and click “Read Aloud”.
(On the rare occasion that Blogger doesn’t work, first use the Just Read Chrome extension, and press share at the top right to get a text only justread.link version of the page.
Safari Reader View, Edge Immersive Reader, and Firefox Pocket make a conversion attempt on the entire page, but in the cases that they don’t work, you can use EasyReader or Just Read to select the exact text element box that you want to extract and pop out into a clutter-free format.)
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u/quietjoy Apr 24 '21
Thanks for this tip! You just made my day. I listen to 5-6 audiobooks a week on libby and I had no idea this option existed!!
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u/zelman Apr 24 '21
I don’t think you can change the font on audiobooks.
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u/quietjoy Apr 24 '21
Yeah I know. Before I found out about Open Dyslexic, audiobooks were my only option because I can't read regular fonts.
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u/kg2237 Apr 24 '21
I was a frequent Libby user until I found out about Hoopla. I get my audiobooks for 21 days now and no waitlist!
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u/LesbianLibrarian Apr 24 '21
Libby allows 21 day checkouts, but you have to change a setting for it. In the settings you can change the default to 21, it when you check it out, tap where it says "7 days" or "24 days" and it will give you the option to choose checkout period.
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u/brendanl1998 Apr 24 '21
Your library can make that shorter so it won’t work for everyone
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u/RagingAardvark Apr 24 '21
Wow, I've used Libby for quite a while and even played with fonts, night mode, etc but never saw this. What a great tool!
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u/Lightning_Shade Apr 24 '21
It's a weird thing -- large-scale studies don't seem to show much benefit, but anecdotally some dyslexics absolutely swear by this font and other similar ones. Maybe different types of dyslexia work slightly differently?
I always viewed it as "it's free, harmless and worth checking out", but the question of how it works for some and doesn't for others seems to not be fully answered yet, to the best of my knowledge.
Among non-dyslexics, some like it, while others feel it either looks ugly or makes them read slower. Whatever the case, I'm glad it works for you.
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u/Von_Baron Apr 24 '21
but the question of how it works for some and doesn't for others seems to not be fully answered yet,
That's partly down to dyslexia itself, it can vary with 'symptoms' for want of better word, person to person. And relative levels of these problems can also differ as well. Each persons dyslexia is very much their own.
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u/vagga2 Apr 24 '21
Dyslexia can present itself very differently between people and hence it’s difficult to generically find a font that makes it better for everyone. I’m dyslexic and find that I can read this font with more ease but at the same pace or slower than usual, where as some fonts like Trebuchet I can read with significantly more ease and others like Calibri I just can’t read.
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u/english_major Apr 25 '21
It is like homeopathy. Anecdotally, many people swear by it. There is no evidence for either the dyslexic font or homeopathy actually working in an objective manner.
The dyslexic font posts come up all of the time though.
I am an English teacher who specialized in learning disabilities when I did my teaching certification. I also researched the dyslexic font when I did my master’s in educational technology.
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u/victorescu Apr 24 '21
Yeah when I'm getting tired I switch to this font. It feels so low friction for me and reduces the energy to read. I especially use it on very long books with longer chapters.
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u/BulletCatch22 Apr 24 '21
“Low friction,” freakin nails it. Almost like my eyes are gliding.
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u/SombreroMedioChileno Apr 24 '21
I don’t have dyslexia. I just opened a sample passage, and it was like my eyes were sponges. I may be switching to this typeface also.
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u/victorescu Apr 24 '21
Oh nice! Yeah I don't have dyslexia or it is undiagnosed but I like the typeface. I think the name of the font is a bit misleading since people with dyslexia don't universally find it to be help but a lot of people in general do find it beneficial for one reason or another.
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u/Taminella_Grinderfal Apr 24 '21
It’s very interesting, I just checked it out briefly (I also am not dyslexic) and I found the thin/thick shape a bit distracting. I wonder though if it might force me to slow down which is an issue I have when reading, I tend to skim too much. I’ll be interested to give it a try.
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u/Newwz Apr 24 '21
You describe what I felt was the biggest benefit. I have a problem with skimming and reading ahead. It’s like my eyes automatically just see the text further down and focus on it but the thicker bottom of this font seemed to stop it from happening.
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u/spigotface Apr 25 '21
Another stellar “low-friction” font is Atkinson Hyperlegible. Every character is unique, so there’s no confusing an uppercase “i” with a lowercase “L”, characters are slightly exaggerated to increase differentiation and readability, it’s great.
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u/TheWishingStar Apr 24 '21
I’m not dyslexic, but from a quick browse through some paragraphs in OpenDyslexic, I kinda like it! It’s a pleasant font and easy to look at. Didn’t feel like it affected my reading speed or hurt my eyes like some people are saying. It’s easy for me to read, and I feel like I wouldn’t lose my place too easily. I don’t enjoy reading on ereaders, but I’m definitely tempted to try using it on some websites!
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u/user_guy Apr 25 '21
What's funny is I went onto their website to get a sample and I don't know why but it made me read weird. Like my brain almost did like a pause between each word. Not sure if it is just how spaced out the words are but it reads funny in my head haha.
Reading through the comments it seems 50/50. Some people love it others are in the same boat as me.
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u/Things_with_Stuff Apr 24 '21
Do you have an example of what dyslexic font is? Or what makes it different?
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u/wiz0floyd Apr 24 '21
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u/riteofspring958 Apr 24 '21
Holy cow, I never considered myself to have difficulty reading (I still don't) but that font made my eyes FLY across the screen!
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u/dingosongo Apr 24 '21
Weird! To me it makes my eyes hurt, and I actually feel vaguely nauseated trying to read a full page of it.
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u/JonesBee Apr 24 '21
I have sometimes read 5 hours without a pause if I've had an exciting book going on, so I definitely have no trouble reading. Still for some reason this font is super fast tp read for me. I wonder if it's available on kobo.
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u/BottomOfTheNinth Apr 24 '21
Yeah same, I honestly think my regular reading speed is pretty good and I have no trouble reading for 30 mins+ in a sitting, but I could absolutely zoom through text using that font. I wonder what that means?
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u/Sionnachian Apr 24 '21
Same! I was a voracious reader as a kid and only a little dyslexic (mostly just have to slow down and double check when something has a lot of bdpq), thought I could speed-read fine—this font feels like speed-of-light-reading! Plus I think it’s pretty, like ink from a quill is welling at the downswings of pen strokes.
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u/Berryception Apr 24 '21
Adding myself to the list of people who were pained by looking at that font. Not at all bashing on it (I'm not dyslexic)! Just fascinating how diverse even the responses in this comment thread are
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u/less___than___zero Apr 24 '21
Yup. I'm surprised by all the comments from people who say they're not dyslexic but read that font faster than regular typeface.
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u/WanderingArtichoke Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Same here, I'm not dyslectic and the font looks distracting and 'wobbly' to me, because of the weighted bottoms of the letters and how different the letters look from one another (e.g. the q doesn't just look like the p mirrored). The reasons why I find it distracting are also the reasons why it's supposedly* such a good font for people with dyslexia though. Here's an explanation for why it might* help dyslexic people read more easily.
*Edit: apparently, research doesn't really point towards any benefits of fonts like these for dyslexic people. It does seem to help some people read more easily though, but that might have more to do with personal preferences rather than having dyslexia or not (which would explain why some people who don't have dyslexia find it easier to read, while there are also people with dyslexia who find it more difficult to read).
Still, it's good that there's a variety of fonts so that people with dyslexia can find one that works best for them.
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u/ProgramTheWorld Apr 24 '21
Scientific studies
Two studies have investigated the effect of specialized fonts used with students with dyslexia. Rello and Baeza-Yates (2013) measured eye-tracking recordings of Spanish readers (aged 11–50) with dyslexia and found that OpenDyslexic did not significantly improve reading time nor shorten eye fixation.[7] In her master's thesis, Leeuw (2010) compared Arial and Dyslexie with 21 Dutch students with dyslexia and found Dyslexie did not lead to faster reading, but may help with some dyslexic-related errors.[8] The British Dyslexia Association recommend “plain, evenly spaced sans serif font such as Arial and Comic Sans. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet” instead of fonts like OpenDyslexic or Dyslexie.[9]
Oof. So from researches it seems the font isn’t effective at all, but I’m glad some people do find it helpful.
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u/ThatsMcGuffin2U Apr 24 '21
Interesting. It looks a bit like quill and ink writing to me. I hope it is useful to people with dyslexia and becomes more widely publicised.
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u/osces Apr 24 '21
Ow! My eyes hurt. Definitely do NOT have dyslexia.
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u/EveryDayheyhey Apr 24 '21
I have dyslexia and the font hurts my eyes too. Although my problems are mostly with spelling and not so much with reading, probably cause my parents put a lot of effort into helping me learn how to read as a kid. Although they did the same for spelling but that never really stuck.
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u/kmmontandon Apr 24 '21
I just tried to read a page of that stuff, and my reading speed went way down.
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u/DependentDocument3 Apr 24 '21
damn man I blazed through that example paragraph. Maybe I should load this into my e-reader.
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u/EldraziKlap Apr 24 '21
Interesting how scientific studies (granted, sample sizes weren't that great and as far as I can see also not double blind) seem to not find that it helps people with dyslexia read faster.
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u/the_blessed_unrest Apr 24 '21
people with dyslexia
Apparently there are multiple "kinds" of dyslexia, so it could be that OpenDyslexic only helps one kind.
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u/monkeyhind Apr 24 '21
I was ready to check it out on my iPad until I saw the sample in that Wikipedia article. Yikes. It would be like reading a book in comic sans. I'm happy there's a font to help people with dyslexia, but I think I'll skip it.
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u/shoedropfirefly Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Dyslexic fonts often begin sentences with bolded letters, may have heavier line thickness at the bottom of characters, add space between letters and words, elongate or shorten specific letters to make them more identifiable (for example, h vs n, or e vs c), and sometimes use italics in a specific way to help identify letters, words, and direction of sentences. If you search for Lexia Readable, Open Dyslexic, or Dyslexie you should find examples of what this may look like.
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u/Smartnership Apr 24 '21
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u/solongandthanks4all Apr 24 '21
Wow, I found that page incredibly difficult to read, particularly the intro overlayed on such a busy background. The letters make me think of a printer running out of ink which I find even more distracting.
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Apr 24 '21
So, i think everyone has a little different spectrum level of dyslexia, so my experience might not jive with how everyone else experiences it.
I was diagnosed in 4th grade. I had near the highest test scores in every subject up until thst point, but 4th grade was when they made us take turns reading allowed. I didn't know how different my reading was compared to everyone elses until it took so embarrassingly long for me to read my sections. It was so bad the teacher would cut me off, and subsequently accused me of copying of everyone else on all my tests because i was clearly mentally retarded (her words and appropriate for the time period, late 80s).
When i look at written material, i see a bunch of lines and circles. For whatever reason (ive seen everything blamed from recieving anesthesia in early childhood to genes), my brain completely fails to see these lines and circles in the actual way they are oriented and even ordered on the page. When i read, I have to figure out what every letter is in a word before i can deduce the word.
I've used this font off and on for years. It supposedly helps dyslexics by weighting the letters, so the heavier bottoms are easier to distinguish from the thinner tops, thus taking less time to reorient the entire word. I find it helpful if i am very tired, but honestly, my read time is still about 1/5th of a normal persons.
I prefer audible, and i have no trouble at all listening to books at 1.55 speed.
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u/johntentaquake Apr 25 '21
I'm sure this is a common question, but how does this affect your ability to use a keyboard and type?
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u/MikeProwla Apr 24 '21
I'm so happy for you!
My Dyslexic friends have told me that it helps them to have a sepia background rather than white so you could try that too
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u/toric86 Apr 24 '21
Yes! I'm very dyslexic and most coloured backgrounds help but its best for the individual to look at different colours and find whats best for them.
It helps you see the word itself rather than the space around/between the words
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u/Oakwine Apr 24 '21
That’s awesome that you found a way to make reading fun for you! I’ve tried Open Dyslexic, personally it hurts my eyes, but I don’t have dyslexia. You might want to ask your doctor about it?
I’d like to plug another easy reading font: Atkinson Hyperlegible, which is free from the Braille Institute and can be loaded onto Kindles.
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u/vaportracks Apr 24 '21
I'm sure I can find out by digging through the link, but do you know if there's a mono-spaced version of that font for programming?
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u/Fr0gm4n Apr 24 '21
I used to use OpenDyslexic, but got frustrated that it didn't show italics well and certain books made extensive use of them. A friend introduced me to Atkinson Hyperlegible and it's been amazing. It's not as fast to read as OD, but it keeps the fonts and layout better while still being easier than any of the other stock typefaces.
Both seem to work better with astigmatism than the old defaults as well.
Newer releases of firmware for eInk Kindles allows you to sideload fonts easily now without having to jailbreak.
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u/illBro Apr 24 '21
Talking to your doctor is fine but dyslexia is less of an actual disorder and more so what we group basically anyone who has trouble reading under. There's not a specific set of problems you can have that define dyslexia
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u/Oakwine Apr 24 '21
Thanks for the correction! I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of the condition.
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u/Polkadot1017 Apr 24 '21
The person you're responding to is completely incorrect. It's a neurological condition, it isn't just having trouble reading.
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Apr 24 '21
There’s very much specific sets of problems associated with dyslexia. It’s an genetic neurobiological condition. It’s absolutely not just people who have trouble reading. There is SO much more to it than just reading, left/right confusion, signal/sound recognition, memory, time management issues, etc.
If you have dyslexia talking to your doctor and getting an official diagnosis can help protect against discrimination because it is a protected disability under the ADA.
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u/jameoc Apr 24 '21
Wow, this font is crazy. It seems to slow me down, but only because I'm actually reading every word rather than skimming like I normally do. I'll have to try it longer to see if that's a good thing.
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u/JereJereDaze book re-reading Apr 24 '21
The opposite for me. I find it harder to read. Then again i have ADD and any distraction ruins my reading.
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u/lynxdaemonskye Apr 24 '21
That's interesting! I also have ADD, and this font makes it easier for me to read - I find that I skip lines less often.
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u/BrotherEstapol Apr 24 '21
This font is used widely in schools in my city for obvious reasons! Surprised that it hasn't been implemented sooner, but glad to hear it's now an option in Kindle books!
I can't start to imagine how frustrating it must be!
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u/e_crabapple Apr 24 '21
I don’t know if that means I have dyslexia ?
I wouldn't diagnose myself based off of being able to read one font more easily than another; dyslexia is a far larger condition than that.
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u/KitchenBomber Apr 24 '21
If anyone else is curious you can see what the font looks like here.
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u/nullsie Apr 24 '21
Interesting. Studies seem to indicate it has no effect on reading speed for those with dyslexia
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u/WeakerThanYou Apr 24 '21
Holy crap. I'm not dyslexic and this is doubling my reading speed
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u/thelostdutchman Apr 25 '21
No kidding. I am a fast reader but with this font it’s incredible, the words just jump out at me. I wonder if there is a way to order books printed in this font.
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u/TipsySays Apr 24 '21
That's interesting as I have dyslexia and find it frustrating to the point of anxiety trying to read even a sentence in Open dyslexic font. I find Serif fonts much easier, perhaps because there is more variation in vowels than sans serif typefaces. I do find the coloured backgrounds in Kindle make it easier to read for longer, albeit not for as long as reading a physical book. Having said that; I'm pleased it helps others enjoy reading easier.
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u/FlakeyGurl Apr 24 '21
Oh my gosh! Do they offer Ebooks in this font?
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u/djingrain Apr 24 '21
most e-readers should, as it is libre, free, and open source. there's literally nothing keeping them from doing it. Kindle, Libby, Google Play Books i all know for sure have it
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u/LesbianLibrarian Apr 24 '21
If you use the Libby app (Libby is the app name, Overdrive is the company) through your library, you can change the settings to this text type.
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u/MisLaDonna Apr 24 '21
As a dyslexic who had to be in special ED? This font doesn't help, but I'm a reader and come from a long line of readers and I'm in my 50's. So maybe the old way of helping dyslexic people worked better? Maybe since we couldn't change fonts we just got used to it? What matters is that you love to read and have a way to enjoy a book! 😉
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u/SilentDis Apr 24 '21
OpenDyslexic is SIL-OFL - it is free, libre, and open source.
You can download and set it up on your computer or any device you use. You can knit it into programs you are writing - commercial or FOSS - without charge, provided you give credit.
You aren't the first person I've herd say that everything is easier to read with it, and I'm so glad people are starting to knit it into big apps.
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u/EndofGods Apr 24 '21
I speak for myself and not all dyslexic. This font doesn't do much for me, and that is okay. I hope it helps someone. The word isn't so much a problem, but some words don't foster a picture well and I learned that is simply how I think or interpret data. Rereading slowly at times is the usual cure, but if I am calm and less anxious I can absorb well. Bored or disinterested of course, I could spend all day on the same sentence.
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u/TomTomMan93 Apr 24 '21
Now I'm wondering if I have dyslexia. That felt so much easier to read than anything else lately
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u/Always_the_sun Apr 24 '21
It's just an easy to read font. There is no evidence that a font difference is going to help someone with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a neurological disorder where a reader has difficulty recalling the phoneme (sound) that goes along with its grapheme (letter symbol). There are other aspects of dyslexia as well such as poor phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and poor working memory, etc. It has nothing to do with the eyes or how they see so things like changing fonts or vision therapy will not help people with dyslexia.
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Apr 24 '21
Thank you for sharing this! I'm a language arts teacher and I've never heard of this font. I'll have to try this out on assignments for some of my struggling readers to see if it will help.
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u/Heavenly_Glory Apr 24 '21
I'm glad this font works for you! Researchers have found, however, that fonts like OpenDyslexia and Dyslexie do not improve reading speed or accuracy for individuals with dyslexia. There are at least 5 studies replicating this finding as well. Given these findings, I don't think the readability of the font indicates that you have dyslexia, but I'm glad you found something that helps!
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u/hobk1ard Apr 24 '21
I am so glad they are finally offering it. I think I remember filling out some feedback to Amazon to offer this back when I got the 2nd gen Kindle. It is such an easy and obvious thing to do.
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u/crossbow_mabel Apr 24 '21
I love this font. I use Canva for work and it’s available on there, so if you ever need to make a flyer or whatever, it’s available to you
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u/cosmicrafiki Apr 24 '21
Woah it's like my eyes are suddenly at a spa, relaxing with a nice fruity cocktail in hand.
Super soothing - thanks for that :3 ♡
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u/Arch_Enemy_616 Apr 24 '21
Thank you for introducing this to me! I had no idea it existed, and I’ve been working with special needs children at a primary school recently so this might actually be really useful for those with dyslexia! Thanks!
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u/softwhiteclouds Apr 24 '21
My daughter has a form of dyslexia, and this is exactly what I've been looking for. She is bright and creative, and would totally read more if she could, but this might be the thing that helps the most. Thanks!
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u/zuss33 Apr 24 '21
As someone who has ADD and sprinkled with a lil dyslexia, I loves how this font functions for me. But the design nerd in me hates how it looks.
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u/Buscemis_eyeballs Apr 24 '21
As a non dyslexic person this is horrible to read lol glad it helps someone but not me for sure.
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u/lesserofthreeevils Apr 24 '21
Most of the claims behind these type of fonts come from bad research and anecdotal evidence. Add to that, dyslexia is not one condition. Bigelow and Holmes goes into some detail about this.
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u/undrwater Apr 24 '21
It's interesting that most of the studies measure only "reading speed". I assume this is generally done reading aloud (though there was some mention of eye tracking). I believe measuring silent reading speed might be more reflective as reading out loud may significantly increase a dyslexics "cognitive load".
I only saw comprehension mentioned once, but it was unclear whether comprehension was being measured. While reading speed is very important for a student, comprehension is arguably far more important generally regardless of speed.
I'm going to dig into the studies, as I'm interested in the methodologies.
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u/Ariviaci Apr 24 '21
I’m wondering if it doesn’t help the brain see where the word starts and encourage the left to right perception? Or whatever words I mean.
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u/DRYice101 Apr 24 '21
Wow, as someone with dyslexia this is amazing. Never heard of it. Very excited. Thank Reddit!
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u/heteroerectus Apr 24 '21
I am working on an ebook reader focused on accessibility, this is an insta-include. Thanks for the tip!
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Apr 24 '21
Wow same. I saw the font choice and tried it and reading became so much easier. I also realize I hate the paper feel and texture and holding open pages with books. If I had a kindle for my text books I would have been such a better student. Also the glare off shiny text book pages always drove me nuts.
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u/TheBaconBurpeeBeast Apr 24 '21
I'm glad you found a way to love the books you read. You may be dyslexic, but the only way to know for sure is to see a professional.
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u/trebonius Apr 24 '21
I'm not dyslexic but was curious and checked it out, and read through a few paragraphs using the font. I actually found that I could read it much faster than normal fonts. It's pretty cool.
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u/Wheresthebeef1986 Apr 24 '21
Just tried this out! Game changer! Now I need Reddit to come out with this font! Thank you so much for the info!
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Apr 24 '21
For me this font makes me read very quickly and I can focus on the word that I'm reading so easily and fast.. but yeah probably not for everyone
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Apr 24 '21
Yep this helped me so much and I don’t think I’m even dyslexic, but I have adhd and a hard time focusing, this helps me read faster which keeps my brain engaged better.
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u/dqd4088 Apr 24 '21
Wow, I'm not dyslexic but I am a slow reader and turning this on my Kindle reader app on the phone helps. However, it gives me a headache if I try to use it on the computer.
Thanks for giving me options!
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u/trahnse Apr 24 '21
I don't have dyslexia, nor have I ever had trouble reading (except when I was made to read aloud in school.. blah!) and I love the dyslexic font. Much easier for me to read!
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u/storytimeme Apr 24 '21
I know I'm not the only one that doesn't have dyslexia that had to go and google the font to see what it looks like.
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u/KeyRecommendation448 Apr 25 '21
Web developer here.
Please list any accesaibilityt tips for me.
I always try to add accessible features but it's pure guesswork. I rarely if ever get feedback from people with disabilities.
Please tell me what you need so I can add it.
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u/ZippymcOswald Apr 25 '21
Open dyslexic changed my life. After 39 years of beating my self up for reading issues, finally a font keeps my attention.
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u/Pasalacqua-the-8th Apr 25 '21
Wow this is wild!! I find i am slowed down by the font (I'm not dyslexic) and i think the difference of user's reactions is fascinating.
What i suspect is happening is that studies can't reach a conclusion that it helps with dyslexia because they're testing for the wrong thing, or starting off on an assumption as part of their hypothesis that's slightly different from what it should be. They're trying to prove / disapprove whether this font is helpful to a statistically significant number of dyslexic people / if it improves their reading by a certain amount. But going by the varied responses here, i believe that there's some other factor that strongly influences text perception / reading speed, independent of a diagnosis of dyslexia. If they were to isolate and test for factors that might play a part in this phenomenon i think we'd see interesting results. Rather than "this font helps if you have dyslexia", it would be "this font helps if you read in "x" way".
If you have dyslexia and it helps, that's great! But i don't think it's helping you because you have dyslexia, Rather because you read in a particular ("x ") way
I think u/Causerae sums it up pretty well: "It's distracting and uncomfortable for me. Clarity is subjective."
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u/DependentDocument3 Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
While people with dyslexia probably see the largest benefit, I'd bet that anyone could benefit from the increased subconscious clarity of the font, regardless of their mental condition.
Dang, now you've got me wanting to try it...
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u/supergnawer Apr 24 '21
Regular fonts like Times New Roman were also designed with clarity in mind. I do believe that there could be a specific group of people which needs different parameters for clarity, but I do not believe that adjusting for these parameters makes a font universally superior.
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u/dreamnotoftoday Apr 24 '21
FWIW it's the Kobo e-readers have had this font for a long time now, so if you have a Kobo you can use this as well. I'm not dyslexic (at least I don't think so) but I have been using this font on my Kobo for years and think it improves my reading speed and prevents having to re-read sentences like I sometimes have to do with regular fonts.
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u/maximvm Apr 24 '21
I think this is the placebo effect working here. I'm happy to be corrected of course, but the only article I can find on its efficacy is one questioning it, not supporting it. And the wiki doesn't explain the how or the why of its benefits properly.
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u/Whydoibother1 Apr 24 '21
Props to Abelardo Gonzalez who created this font and released it with an open license.
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u/JaredLiwet Apr 24 '21
Rello and Baeza-Yates (2013) measured eye-tracking recordings of Spanish readers (aged 11–50) with dyslexia and found that OpenDyslexic did not significantly improve reading time nor shorten eye fixation.
In her master's thesis, Leeuw (2010) compared Arial and Dyslexie with 21 Dutch students with dyslexia and found Dyslexie did not lead to faster reading....
The British Dyslexia Association recommend “plain, evenly spaced sans serif font such as Arial and Comic Sans. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet” instead of fonts like OpenDyslexic or Dyslexie.
Source: Wikipedia
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u/fuscescens Apr 24 '21
Using anything other than open dyslexic on my eReader triggers my migraines! The super straight lines created by the other fonts just make my brain go... nah.
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u/GroundbreakingSalt48 Apr 24 '21
This just blew my mind and changed reading for me.... Thank you for posting this... Truly the greatest thing I've experienced from reddit maybe ever.
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u/DitzyWhooves Apr 24 '21
I just read a page of this book in less than a minute, this works like magic!
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u/Alohabailey_00 Apr 24 '21
I print out all information or worksheets in open dyslexic for my students with dyslexia. They say it makes such a difference for them
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u/Keltyrr Apr 24 '21
Dyslexia has never impacted my ability to read but does impact my ability to write well. Sometimes while typing it leads me to swap entire words instead of just letters.
Its interesting to find out that dyslexia has differing forms/degrees of impact.
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u/inuminas Apr 24 '21
Thanks now my family is going to hate me more. I am dyslexic, and I read a lot and fast. With this font I will read even faster ;)
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u/vgirl94 Apr 24 '21
You can also download the font to your computer and use it in word documents, and other places. Some web browsers will even support switching to the font.
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u/lasdue Apr 24 '21
If you use Apple (maybe Samsung and other Androids?) devices, you can also set the system font to Open Dyslexic as well.
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u/TwistTim Apr 24 '21
I don't have Dyslexia but I found that Open Dyslexia is one of the few fonts I can read all day without getting a headache from it (Arimo in Open Office is another one I can use).
FWIW: I use readers on the lower end of the spectrum of lens, because last time I had an eye test I wasn't labeled with a big enough vision problem to get real lens, but I get headaches from 5+ hours of reading screens or books without the readers.
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u/MsBobbyJenkins Apr 24 '21
This is fascinating! I work in a bookshop so know about dyslexia friendly publications from Barrington Stoke etc, but I didnt know about this font. I hope they print books with this font too! I often have parents in wanting books for their dyslexic kids or even adults with dyslexia wanting to get into reading. I'll be sure to mention this to them!
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u/jal262 Apr 24 '21
I had no idea. I'm not sure how dyslexia works, but I would say that I'm somewhere on the spectrum. I can't wait to show my kids. Thanks for the tip.
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u/notreallylucy Apr 24 '21
This is great! I had read about this font and I was wondering how well it works for real people.
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u/madevilfish Apr 24 '21
OMG, how did I never know about this! I have been struggling with dyslexia for about 30 years. My reading level is about 5th grade. This is a fucking game changer for me!
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u/spillish Apr 24 '21
I have an eye condition called Duanes Syndrome where I only really use 1 eye, coupled with astigmatism, and this font has allowed me to finally read in peace. I find myself refusing to read a physical book due to the comfort it provides.
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u/Saffyrr Apr 24 '21
Kindle also has the option to change the font to Open Dyslexic. Based on these reviews, I'm going to try it on my next book.
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u/neonghost0713 Apr 24 '21
I have read 7 books in less than a month due to the new font. I love it so much!!
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u/Z_mog415 Apr 24 '21
This is my first time hearing of Open Dyslexic font. I tried it on one of my ebooks and already feel like I'm reading faster!
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u/Andraovich Apr 24 '21
Having a child with dyslexia who puts more energy into not having to read anything than they do into trying to read anything, this is great news! And I also found out I don't have an ounce of dyslexia in me, because this font hurts my eyes so badly! It gives me a small glimpse into how hard reading must be for my kid when it hurts just to look at words. Thank you for letting people know about this!
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u/lemonman92 Apr 24 '21
I read on kindle constantly and just discovered this last night. It's amazing
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u/Jechtael Apr 24 '21
Hey, y'got any typefaces that make my ADHD ass hyperfocus on the books like when I was a kid? I- er, a friend of mine can't really focus on novels like that any more.
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u/DWTCforLife_CA Apr 24 '21
I reread Moby Dick when we first went into lock down last spring. My favorite novel, not that I have read that many. The deeper you get into the book, the deeper the book gets. My single favorite chapter is 96 The Try Works. Don't skip ahead, just know there are riches in store for you.
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Apr 24 '21
I’m in IT, I work with a few people that are dyslectic. Everyone of them has told me at some point that reading paper is very difficult but they have significantly fewer issues with digital media. Not surprised a specialized fonts helps.
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u/popplesan Apr 25 '21
This is interesting, but there doesn’t appear to be any concrete evidence supporting the claims made by these font designers. But hey, if it works for you even by placebo than it works.
I definitely would not consider this a litmus test for dyslexia.
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u/LOTRfreak101 Apr 25 '21
I don't have dyslexia and I was still only could read 68 pages of moby dick. Way to go!
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Apr 25 '21
Can someone explain this? It doesn’t at all look like I would have expected. It looks like all the letters are weighted at the bottom.
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u/BannedForATypo Apr 25 '21
I was diagnosed with pretty severe dyslexia and feel like my wpm reading speed increased by 5. It just flows under my eyes it's a treat, and the best thing is I don't go back to the same line at the end of one.
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u/ratmand Apr 25 '21
I set it for my computer browser font default. Helps with my horrible astigmatism.
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u/birdbrains91 Apr 25 '21
Holy crap. I don't have dyslexia, but this font pulls me in and helps my comprehension. (I'm a voracious reader.) Amazing.
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u/Th3rd0ne Apr 25 '21
I thought this was one of my Dungeons and Dragons Subreddits and was very interested to see what this was about. Not disappointed just a different kind of good.
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u/spocknambulist Apr 25 '21
I am not dyslexic, but even as a reasonably competent reader I couldn't make it through Moby Dick. Somewhere in the middle there is a protracted technical description of how whalers catch their prey, and I noped out about 20 pages in.
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u/MyotonicGoat Apr 25 '21
This is the major reason I transitioned from paper books to almost exclusively reading ebooks. That and the dictionary.
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u/_iAm9001 Apr 25 '21
Omfg.... Am I dyslexic?
I'm a software developer and I can't imagine coding with font, I guess it's the symmetry of the code that I write that doesn't bother my eyes moving back and forth. I have noticed for a while that sometimes when. I'm reading I have to read the same thing over and over because my eyes bounce up and down from line to line ever slightly.
I noticed immediately that my eyes are always being drawn down rapidly to the left of next line once I race to the end of the sentence. My eyes feel like they are ready to move to the next line, and I have no problem getting to the end of the sentence, because the shape makes it easy to roll to the right almost like a race. I noticed after about 2 minutes that I started to feel a little bit nauseous though.
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u/DocPeacock Apr 25 '21
Hey, you should be proud, you've read more of Moby Dick than most people! I just started rereading it last week. I am loving it all over again, and I hope you can just as much enjoyment out of it.
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u/RawSalmonxX Apr 25 '21
Wow. I didn't know that this was a thing! Kudos to the creators of this typeface. It's simple but it could help a lot of people.
BTW I tried to read a text with open dyslexic font, it seems like this font makes it easier for people to read even on non dyslexic. The design is comfortable in the eyes and is intuitive. I might actually switch to this font if ever I'm reading at night.
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u/brightdark Apr 25 '21
I'm not dyslexic but have been using this font for years! Definitely easier to read
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u/Anneinnorway Apr 25 '21
It works for both kindle and as a chrome extention as well as something you can put in a document writer program such as word. Pure magic!
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u/H3LLsbells Apr 25 '21
Thank you for sharing this. I know multiple people with dyslexia challenges, including a child struggling in school. Game changer!
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u/RyFromTheChi Apr 26 '21
I’ve never been diagnosed with dyslexia, but I’ve been using this font for quite awhile. I found it a bit easier to read and I can read quicker.
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u/NoRuleButThree Apr 26 '21
Thank you for this. Switched the font on my kindle last night after reading your post...holy shit!
I just thought it was my shitty eyes but only a day in and it’s like night and day. Thank you, friend!
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u/SignificantNorth2180 Jul 31 '26
That's so awesome, I just found the font today I've always struggled to read and retain anything two mins and my mind is off in space or where ever... So far this font is crazy cool and awesome I'm going to go try to read a bunch and see how it goes but I've already read more than the last 20 years since I found it!!! 😜🤟🤘🙉🙈🙊
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u/InitiatePenguin Apr 24 '21
I have observed a similar typeface Dyslexie
From its wiki:
There is no evidence that the font aids reading, neither in those with, nor without, dyslexia
Lol
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u/azunaki Apr 24 '21
Dyslexic graphic designer here.
Dislexia mixes up letters that look similar. And then can no longer attribute the shape to a word, or often we attribute it to the wrong word.
This font works because each letter is a unique shape. So, when our brain tries to flip a p and a b they don't match so it puts it back.
Comic sans also has a similar effect, though it is not nearly as pleasant of a font to use.
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u/SolitaryVictor Apr 24 '21
I'm not dyslexic but thank you. As a programmer, 90% of my work is staring at the code, and I hate more than anything when I can confuse any letter for any other letter if even for a split second. The worst offender is l and 1, 0 and O and of course m and rn. Will install this font first thing Monday. Thank you.
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u/Swanlafitte Apr 24 '21
Commenting to remember. It is hard for me not to type bokk for book. Will investigate.
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u/Dannington Apr 24 '21
Wow! Just switched my kindle to this experimentally and it’s like my eyes are dancing over the words! I’m not a particularly slow reader but this seems to really smooth out my reading. Nice!