Free Fonts for Dyslexics​

For students with dyslexia, reading regular fonts can be tricky, especially ones with serifs, like Times New Roman, a ubiquitous font that teachers often require. Serifs are small lines attached to the ends of letters that can make letters confusing for dyslexics. As an example, this sentence has serifs.

 

This one does not (hence the term “sans serif’ for fonts without them). See how the letters are more clear and simple?

 

One work-around to make reading easier for dyslexics is to use sans serif fonts like Arial and Verdana, which are widely available in word processing programs. Even better is getting a font designed for dyslexics. There are a few options, and you can download these free fonts to use in Microsoft Word or Pages. (Right now, Google Docs doesn't support custom fonts.)

 

Lexie Readable is one: download it here.

 

Open Dyslexic is another: download it here.

 

And finally, there is Dyslexie: download it here.

 

Both Safari and Chrome also allow you to customize the fonts that appear on web sites. This will change some, but not all web pages.

 

Using these fonts can make it easier for dyslexic students to read online and printed documents and write papers. If your student has dyslexia, check them out!​