This is nowhere near as good as the Open Dyslexic font. It looks weird, and I'm not dyslexic, but damn it makes me able to read so much faster!
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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I wish there was an open font that tries to do the same thing, but with an aesthetic that wasn't reminiscent of comic sans.
You're looking at it, the one linked In the op lmao
The Hyperlegible web site makes no mention of dyslexia, only visual impairment. Those are two totally different issues.
Well yes but beauty standards for typography run counter to accommodating for dyslexia, especially for sans serifs. Similarity in shapes, curves, weights, and stroke width are seen as beautiful, but they're exactly what must be given up for more accessible typography.
Someone else in the comments here did mention Bionic Reading though, and there's a free alternative in Fast Font, which has a gradient of weights for each word from black for the first letter to thin for the last one. Might be something to consider
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But comic sans is funny
You're right, I'm going to change all my fonts to comic sans (or whatever open-source variant might exist)...
I find it ironic that their website has extremely low contrasting colors making it very hard to read.
(Look at the top left for the worst example)
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This looks like the font used on shroom tshirts
I actually changed my Anki to OpenDyslexic a couple of months ago! I changed it again when Atkinson Hyperlegible Next came out, but I agree that OpenDyslexic makes reading a breeze.
My only grievance with OpenDyslexic is that I don't think I could send reports with this font without pushback. On the other hand, I have sent multiple reports using Atkinson Hyperlegible and nobody has ever said a thing.
I find this harder to read than almost any other "normal" font. I wonder if I have some other reading impairment I've never been aware of - having recently discovered I'm also not neurotypical
To be honest, studies around whether this font is actually easier to read for people with dyslexia haven't shown that to be the case. At least, that's what I remember from reading about it in a Dutch skeptic magazine (Skepter) some time ago. So if you have dyslexia and find this font harder to read, that doesn't have to say anything about you.
EDIT: this seems to be the article I read, though it's from ten years ago.
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Coolness! I like the bionic font, but it’s more “just for me” than anything. This looks like a great default.
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You can also download it at Github without giving up your email address or agreeing to some dumb TOS.
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I have been using this font as the default font on my personal laptop and I am more than happy with the way it looks and reads.
A couple of years ago I tried using the original Atkinson Hyperlegible (the one published a couple of years ago, before "Next") on GNOME and my settings didn't quite work. I had scaling at around 100% and increased the font size a little bit because I was having a hard time reading the font (the irony!). You inspired me to try again, but now with Atkinson Hyperlegible Next!
Its beyond free for use, its OFL.
I think this actually has a negative effect for me. It's like every character is now screaming for my attention, and my brain can't read whole words and phrases. I have to process the letters first. Though it's possible this could be more to do with the website's rendering on mobile and default font size.
It doesn't work for me either. Just reading the text on the page linked here was uncomfortable. It's not like you describe though - for me it's like there's too much white space and there's this mass of words almost floating around the page and it's hard to keep track of where I'm up to. I am a bad/slow reader and all reading is like that for me - that font just seems to make it worse.
For me it was the default font size. Way to big on that page. Again, not target audience.
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That's interesting. I'd love to know if you have the same experience on a desktop and with different font sizes.
It's just the font size. I have to zoom out to 50% then it's pretty comfortable. But also I'm not the target audience and if my eyesight goes later on in life I'll probably benefit. I'm glad sites are considering things like this for accessibility.
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can't wait for this to be in distros by default.
I see a lot of people discussing this font and mentioning OpenDyslexia.
I couldn't find research on Atkinson Hyperlegible. It says it was recently this year, I also couldn't find any research on effectuveness when I looked through the website. If I missed it I aplogize and would love to learn more if someone wants to take the time to link/copy the applicable info. My hope is since it's a non-profit group focusing on helping those with vision problems it has been well developed tested for effectiveness. Certainly if someone wants to try for themselves please do. Before going all out though say converting large volumes of things or implementing for a classroom I think asking questions would be prudent.
Unfortunately OpenDyslexia does not actually help those with this learn disability! The authors of the below article do a good job of discussing why and the harm misconception/misuse of products like these can create.
Wery JJ, Diliberto JA. The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy. Ann Dyslexia. 2017 Jul;67(2):114-127. doi: 10.1007/s11881-016-0127-1. Epub 2016 Mar 18. PMID: 26993270; PMCID: PMC5629233. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5629233/
Here is some more info and strategies for those instered in regards to dyslexia. https://childmind.org/article/understanding-dyslexia/
Thank you so much for taking the time to research and share you findings.
As to Atkinson Hyperlegible, I suppose its merit could be, at most, making it harder to confuse characters such as B8, O0, or 1Iil.
Beyond these benefits (and as you mentioned), there is just not enough information on whether Atkinson Hyperlegible definitely helps or not.
Also, thanks for the link on dyslexia. I suppose that, to an extent, promoting fonts like Open Dyslexia could lead to the unintended consequences described in the article.
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I have been using this font on my eBook Reader for years. It's great. Highly recommended - it might look a little bit goofy at the first glance, but it really is more readable.
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The original Atkinson Hyperlegible (without Next) is available by default on some Kobo e-readers. I use it for a few months now and I find that indeed it helps reading at night (or without my glasses because it's nice to remove them from time to time).
I just added this to my eReader. I’ve been reading a lot lately and while I haven’t had any difficulty, I’m eager to see if it enhances comprehension.
Good post OP.
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I have good vision but I actually really like this font since i have a smaller phone screen! Anyone know how to install it on an Android phone?
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This is probably a stupid question. If it is free for personal and all commercial use... which case isn't covered by that? Could just say it is free to use.
OP just tries to be as clear and transparent as possible, because there are times when someone says something is "free to use" but then in the "fine print" they hide limitations.
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As someone that has pretty decent vision, I enjoyed reading this font very much. Imma have to download it just because it's pleasant to read.
Can I change fonts on my iphone, can I change it to this? I have a disability that impacts my vision and currently I’ve been relying on making text massive but this could be a better solution it sounds like.
I don’t think so. At least I couldn’t find anything on my settings app.
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This seems to indicate it's best for those with 'low vision' which almost implies there's a more 'hyperlegible' font that's better for those with standard/regular vision. Is this the case or should it be argued that this font is most legible for all and thusly also best for those with low vision? Just curious--would like to know what best runner-ups would be suggested too
I'm also curious how they went about creating this font. Any resources on how they go about proving/creating it's 'hyperlegibility'?
The website lists some features that enhance legibility. Some are common sense (ex. 1, l and I all look different), some are less obvious:
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Unambiguous Letterforms
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Clear Uprights
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Distinct Pairs
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Open Counters
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Spurs and Tails
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Special Circles (although this one could be just branding)
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I use this font for any document I type up, if it's to be consumed by anyone else but myself.
I tried to put this on my Kobo, but it just crashed it every time.
I also think it’s a good looking font.
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