A dyslexia-friendly font is a clear, evenly-spaced typeface that makes letters easier to tell apart. The British Dyslexia Association recommends plain sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana or Comic Sans.
What makes a font dyslexia-friendly
The idea is simple: when letters are clean, evenly weighted and well spaced, the reader spends less effort untangling the shapes and more on the meaning. The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Style Guide names sans-serif fonts as the practical choice. Sans-serif means there are no small 'curly' strokes on the ends of letters. Fonts the BDA lists include Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Century Gothic, Calibri, Open Sans and, yes, Comic Sans. Serif fonts are best avoided because the extra strokes can crowd similar letters like b and d, or p and q.
It is not just the font
Spacing and layout do as much work as the typeface. The BDA suggests 12 to 14 point text, line spacing of around 1.5, generous gaps between words, and left-aligned text rather than justified text that stretches the spaces unevenly. It also recommends an off-white or cream background instead of bright white, which can feel dazzling. The font choice is one lever among several.
What about OpenDyslexic and other specialist fonts?
Specially designed fonts exist, such as OpenDyslexic, Dyslexie and the BDA's own LDN Kona. They use weighted bottoms and wider spacing to anchor each letter. They are worth trying, but be realistic about the evidence. Controlled studies are mixed. One peer-reviewed study in Annals of Dyslexia found OpenDyslexic did not improve reading speed or accuracy over ordinary fonts like Arial, and no child preferred it. So a specialist font is an option to test with your child, not a guaranteed fix.
Why this matters for you
The honest qualifier most lists skip: a font is not a treatment. As the NHS explains, dyslexia is mainly a difference in how the brain processes language and sounds, not a problem with eyesight. A clear font lowers visual effort, which genuinely helps many readers, but it does not address the underlying difficulty. The BDA promotes dyslexia-friendly formatting as a reasonable adjustment, and at school these changes to written materials sit within SEN Support, the everyday help a school provides without needing an EHCP.
Where the law comes from
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.