Fonts for Dyslexic Reading
Our approach is built on peer-reviewed research in typography, visual perception, and reading science.
LexiCipher uses Design of Experiments (DOE), a statistical methodology developed for industrial quality improvement, to efficiently identify which typography factors affect your reading comfort.
Instead of testing every possible combination (which would require 128 trials for our 7 factors), DOE uses a structured approach that captures main effects and key interactions in just 16 comparisons.
Our passages are calibrated using Flesch-Kincaid readability scores to ensure consistent difficulty. Each grade level uses passages calibrated to 2 years below the reader's level, creating comfortable but engaging reading material.
Zorzi, M., Barbiero, C., Facoetti, A., et al. (2012)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 109(28), 11455-11459
Extra-large letter spacing (+2.5 standard) improved reading speed by ~20% in dyslexic children without decreasing accuracy.
We test letter spacing from -10% to +40% as one of our primary optimization factors.
Schneps, M. H., Thomson, J. M., Chen, C., et al. (2013)
PLOS ONE, 8(9), e75634
Reading on screens with optimized line spacing showed ~27% improvement in reading speed for dyslexic participants.
We test line height from 100% to 200% and validate that screen-based testing is effective.
Rello, L., & Baeza-Yates, R. (2013)
ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '13)
Larger font sizes (14-18pt) performed better. No single "best" font—preferences varied significantly between individuals.
We default to 16pt and test a range, recognizing that personalization matters more than one-size-fits-all.
Marinus, E., Mostard, M., Segers, E., et al. (2016)
Dyslexia, 22(3), 233-244
Word spacing (not unique letterforms) drove reading improvements in "dyslexia fonts." Spacing modifications may be more impactful than shape changes.
We include word spacing as a primary factor and focus on spacing optimization alongside font features.
Martelli, M., Di Filippo, G., Spinelli, D., & Zoccolotti, P. (2009)
Journal of Vision, 9(4), 14
Dyslexic readers show larger "crowding" effects—letters are harder to identify when flanked by other letters.
This explains WHY spacing interventions work: they reduce visual crowding interference.
Perea, M., Panadero, V., Moret-Tatay, C., & GĂłmez, P. (2012)
Learning and Instruction, 22(6), 420-430
Increased letter spacing benefited dyslexic readers more than typical readers in word recognition tasks.
Cross-validates the Zorzi findings and supports our letter spacing optimization range.