The settings that actually change how a page feels
Line length is the setting nobody adjusts and everybody feels: aim for about 60 to 75 characters per line. Longer lines make your eye lose its place on the return sweep, which reads as "I keep re-reading the same sentence" rather than as a layout problem. On a phone, that means leaving the default; on a tablet or desktop, it means margins.
Then raise line spacing before you raise font size. Air between lines does most of the work people expect from a bigger typeface, and it costs you less text per screen. Raise size after, until you are no longer leaning toward the page.
What the dyslexia-font evidence says
Controlled studies have not found that dyslexia-specific fonts improve reading speed or accuracy compared with ordinary, well-set text. What helps in those studies is usually the thing bundled alongside the font: larger type, more spacing, shorter lines. If OpenDyslexic makes you want to read, use it: preference is a legitimate reason, and it is a different claim from "it works".
A starting configuration
| Setting | Start at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Typeface | The device default serif or sans | Familiar shapes need no learning |
| Size | One or two steps above default | Stop leaning toward the page |
| Line spacing | The next step up | Cheapest legibility win there is |
| Line length | 60 to 75 characters | Protects the return sweep |
| Margins | Wider than default | Shortens lines without shrinking type |
| Justification | Left-aligned, not justified | Avoids rivers of white space |
| Theme | Match the room's light | Contrast comfort, not ideology |
Bionic reading and bold-first-letters modes
Several apps bold the first letters of each word. Independent testing has not shown a reliable speed or comprehension benefit for bionic reading. It is free to try and harmless; just do not buy a subscription for it. The full look at the evidence →
Where to change these
E-readers give you the deepest control: the Kobo Libra the deepest of the ones we have scored. Read-it-later apps like Matter let you set type once for every article you save. Browsers ship a reader mode that fixes most badly-set websites in one keystroke.
Exactly where the settings are, app by app
These are the menus as the makers describe them. Change one setting at a time and read a page before changing the next.
- Kindle app (iPhone and Android): open a book, tap the middle of the page, then the Aa menu. Amazon lists font size, font type (including OpenDyslexic), spacing between lines, paragraphs, words and characters, margins and left-aligned or justified text.
- Kindle e-reader: the same Aa menu, with line, paragraph, word and character spacing and margin size.
- Apple Books (iPhone): open a book, tap the menu, then Themes & Settings. Tap the large A or small A for size, pick a theme such as Quiet, and under Customize turn on the accessibility and layout options to adjust line spacing, character spacing, word spacing and margins, or turn justification off.
- Libby: tap the middle of the page, then the reading settings icon. Drag the text scale slider for size, choose Bright, Sepia or Dark under Lighting, and pick OpenDyslexic under Book Design if you prefer it.
- Your whole phone: on iPhone, Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size for larger text and bold text. On Android, Settings, then Display or Accessibility for font size.
A ten-minute settings session
- Open the book you are reading now, at your current page.
- Raise line spacing one step. Read half a page.
- Raise font size one step. Read half a page.
- Widen the margins one step. Read half a page.
- Turn justification off if the app allows it.
- Choose a theme that matches the light in the room: light by day, dark at night.
- Stop. Use it for a week before you change anything else.
The point of doing this once, deliberately, is that you stop fiddling during reading time. Fiddling with settings feels productive and is one of the more comfortable ways an ADHD session slips away.
Settings for listening, too
If you read with your ears as well as your eyes, the same principle applies: change one thing at a time. Start at normal speed and raise it in small steps; see audiobook speed for ADHD. For text on screen read aloud, your phone's built-in speech settings are covered in best text-to-speech apps.
Light, night and sleep
Reading in bed is a good habit and a risky one. A bright screen and an engaging book can push sleep later. If you read at night, use a dark theme, lower the brightness, and stop at a natural break you set before you start. Our reading at night with ADHD method covers how to wind down rather than wake up.
Settings on paper, too
Print books cannot be reflowed, but you can still change how a page meets your eye. A reading ruler or line guide gives your eye a landmark on dense pages. A large-print edition, where your library has one, does the same job as raising the font size. Good light matters more than people expect: a lamp over your shoulder rather than overhead reduces glare on glossy paper. And if a printed book is set in small, tight type, the ebook or audiobook of the same title may be the better way in.
When settings are not the problem
If you have changed size, spacing and theme and still lose your place or drift, the cause is probably not typography. Look at session length (reading sprints), the book itself (choosing books that hold attention) or the device (phone settings for reading). Settings remove friction; they do not create interest.
Write your settings down once
When you find settings that work, write them on a card or in a note on your phone: app, font, font size, line spacing, margins, theme, and audio speed if you listen. Apps reset after updates, new devices start from defaults, and the evening you need to fix it is usually the evening you are least able to fiddle. With the card, restoring your settings takes a minute, not a session.
A simple format:
| Setting | My choice |
|---|---|
| App or device | |
| Font and size | |
| Line spacing | |
| Margins | |
| Theme or lighting | |
| Audio speed |