Dyslexics are individuals that suffer from a learning disorder called dyslexia which makes it difficult to read. These individuals tend to have a hard time relating letters and words to speech sounds.
One of the things that can make learning even harder for such individuals is the use of certain fonts that are mainly used in graphic design. In most cases, decorative fonts can make the learning process even more difficult for dyslexics.
An important thing to keep in mind is that letters that are created in the italics format are also unsuitable for dyslexics. Similarly, letters that tend to have too many curves and irregular shapes can be hard to comprehend.
To help you know exactly which fonts to avoid, I have created a list of the worst fonts for dyslexics.
Read on.
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Worst Fonts for Dyslexics
1. Brush Script
Image by HipFonts
Brush Script may be among some of the world’s most popular casual connecting script typefaces, but it is certainly not the ideal pick when dealing with dyslexics. It was designed in 1942 by Robert E. Smith on behalf of the American Type Founders or ATF.
A quick glance at it reveals an exuberant graphic stroke similar to what you would observe if you look at handwritten letters. The letters come across as having been written using an ink brush too.
If you are looking at the font’s lowercase letters, you’ll notice that they appear to be irregular just as it would be when a person writes using their hands. When it was introduced to the public, a lot of people loved it and started using it on adverts, posters, and retail signs.
One of the things that makes it one of the worst fonts for dyslexics is that its letters are connected to each other and that can make it quite difficult for people to read. The lowercase version also takes the italics design by default and that complicates things even further.
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2. Papyrus
Image by Befonts
Papyrus is another popular typeface used by writers and designers throughout the globe. It was designed by Chris Costello in 1982 but did not come into prominence until 1983.
The designer was inspired by early biblical writings which led him to imagine how a handwritten book would look like in the past. He designed this font over a period of six months using a calligraphy pen and textured paper.
Although it may be an excellent font for ordinary people, it is among the worst fonts for dyslexics. One of the things that make it less than ideal is that it is characterized by rough edges which may be confusing to a dyslexic person.
Another problem is that it has irregular curves and high horizontal strokes in the uppercase version which can be quite off-putting for a person with dyslexia.
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3. Neuland Inline
Image by FontsGeek
The Neuland Inline font is another relatively popular font that was designed and released to the public in 1923. It was created by a famous typographer named Rudolf Koch.
This font is categorized under the Neuland family and the Inline subfamily. Many people use it when creating designs on their websites, posters, and business cards.
It can also be great for shop or restaurant signs because of its eye-catching nature. One of the things that contributed to the rise in popularity of the font is that it was used to create the title of the beloved Jurassic Park movie.
However, the font is not good for dyslexics because of the irregularly shaped letter designs. It also incorporates unconventional curves which ultimately make it appear confusing to dyslexics.
Keep in mind that the lowercase version of this font appears more crooked than the uppercase version which is why you should avoid it completely.
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4. Ecofont
Image by FontsGeek
Ecofont is a name that refers to a TrueType font family that was created to reduce the consumption of ink during printing. It was developed by SPRANQ, a company based in the Netherlands.
When using this font, letters are created by using dots and that means the ink you need to print out your content will be reduced by a certain percentage. This not only saves ink but also ensures that you save some money.
However, the design of the font itself compromises clarity which is why it is a problematic font for dyslexics.
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5. Broadway
Image by Pinspiry
Broadway is a decorative typeface which means it can be ideal for creating things such as birthday, wedding, or baby shower decorations and invitations.
It was originally created by Morris Fuller Benton, an American typeface designer who also served as the head of the ATF’s design department between 1900 and 1937.
This font was developed in 1927 and only had uppercase letters. The font gained some popularity over the years but was discontinued in 1954.
It regained popularity in the Cold-type era and was used to create documents that captured the writings of the twenties and thirties.
Over the years, the font has been redesigned a couple of times and a lower-case version has also been introduced. Today, this font is still quite popular, especially for people who want to create documents that evoke feelings of the past.
While it can provide exceptional results when used to create documents for average people, it is one of the most unsuitable fonts for dyslexics. That is because it features irregular shapes and curves.
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6. Chiller
Image by Free Fonts Vault
Chiller is another popular font that was designed by a famous British designer named Andrew Smith in 1992.
The font is widely used to write texts that are related to horror themes which is why you can expect to see it at the start of movies, on the covers of horror magazines, and even on posters.
It can be used to create words in over 50 different languages and is available in both lower and uppercase versions.
While it does a great job of capturing the horror theme, it is not the preferred font for dyslexics because of the rough edges and irregular shapes of letters.
The font becomes even worse for dyslexics when used to write long sentences.
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7. Bauhaus 93
Image by Fonts Hut
Bauhaus 93 is another font that has been used by many renowned brands to create logos and advertisements. Some famous logos created using this font include the Postman Pat Logo, the Amiibo Logo, as well as on Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
This font was created by Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt back in 1969. It is characterized by geometric, sans-serif letterforms.
In most cases, you’ll realize that letters under this typeface have a bold look and also include irregular shapes which can be upsetting to people with dyslexia.
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8. Harlow Solid Italic
Image by Cufon Fonts
Harlow Solid Italic is commonly available with Microsoft Office products.
A glance at the font will evoke feelings of the writing style that was used back in the 40s and 50s. It is another font that is characterized by geometric letterforms.
The font has an extremely unconventional look and style which is why it may be quite difficult for a person with dyslexia to read.
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9. Magneto
Image by Pinspiry
Magneto is another font that has been widely used throughout the world. It supports a variety of languages which is one of the reasons for its frequent use.
It was designed by Leslie Carbaga after drawing inspiration from the chrome-strip lettering style that was commonly found on refrigerator doors, compressors, and car trunks in the 1940s and 50s. The font has three spacing variations.
In most cases, this font features a bold look which may make it unpleasant for a dyslexic individual. It also features letters that are connected and that makes it even more difficult to read through especially when used to create long sentences or articles.
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10. Onyx
Image by Design Panoply
Onyx is a font that was designed back in 1937 by the ATF. Its design was inspired by another popular font by the name of Stephanie.
One of the things that makes it unsuitable for people with dyslexia is that it features thick and thin strokes that make letters look somewhat irregular.
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11. Phil Handwriting
Image by Fonts.com
The Phil Handwriting font is not as popular as most of the options mentioned above. However, it is one of the more decorative options that can be used to create things like invitations, informal letters, and poems.
It is one of the worst fonts for dyslexics because it features letters that are connected to each other. Using its lowercase form makes things even worse because the reader may find it hard to determine what each word means.
12. Rodaja
Image by Printables
Rodaja is another decorative font that can be ideal for informal usage on things such as birthday presents, wedding invitations, and romantic letters.
One of the things that make it unsuitable for dyslexics is that some of its letters tend to have extremely long tails that can overlap over letters within the same space.
Some letters also feature thin and wide sections and that can make the overall reading experience quite difficult.
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13. Jaro Handwriting
Image by Fonts.com
Jaro Handwriting is a font that was created to give a feeling of natural handwriting. It was published by SoftMaker and has not really become popular.
It is one of the more troublesome fonts for dyslexics because the letters are not always arranged in a straight line. A casual look at it gives the impression of something that is not properly aligned.
Another problem is that the letters have thin and wide sections which can make words look irregular. Finally, this font features certain letters that have long noses or tails.
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14. Hipster Factory
Image by Design Your Way
Hipster Factory can be a good font for designers who want to create eye-catching headlines or logos. Some of its letters have unusually elongated tails with edges characterized by bold coloring or unusual thickness.
Letters also tend to touch each other which means a dyslexic person may have a difficult time seeing each individual letter as a single unit.
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15. Thaun
Image by Fonts.com
Thaun is another beautiful font you can use in graphic design or for creating informal articles and letters. However, it’s not for dyslexics because certain letters tend to touch each other.
The spacing between letters is also quite small which can make it hard for dyslexics to make out what each word is.
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16. Cezanne
Image by FontSpring
Cezanne is a script typeface that was designed by two innovative designers, Michael Want and Richard Kegler. The typeface was created on behalf of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
It was published by P22 Type Foundry in 1996. This font is one of the best to choose when you want to create things like romantic letters, poems, and website content, among others.
However, dyslexics find it difficult because the letters tend to run into each other. There are also letters that tend to be oversized while others may appear quite small.
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17. Kaufmann BT
Image by Cufon Fonts
Kaufmann BT is popularly used to create lovely graphic designs on websites, restaurants, and other commercial places.
It is another font that gives an impression of handwritten letters which may make it ideal for creating letters and informal invitations. However, it is not recommended for dyslexics because letters within words tend to touch each other.
Keep in mind that it is only in the lowercase version that letters touch each other. The uppercase version also presents a challenge because the letters have exaggerated edges or curves.
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18. Calligrapher
Image by Fontspace
Calligrapher is a script typeface that can be an ideal pick for anyone that wants to create amazing designs. It can work on different platforms including social media and websites that deal with different occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.
The font is characterized by delicate strokes that make letters look elegant. However, despite its beautiful appearance, it makes it to this list because letters are connected in almost every word you can think of.
A casual look at any word created with this font gives the impression that once the writer put the pen on the paper, they did not lift it up until they finished writing each word.
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19. Bazooka
Image by Cufon Fonts
The Bazooka font is another option you should avoid when dealing with a dyslexic audience. That is because letters tend to lean forward which can be confusing to a dyslexic individual.
Some letters also feature breaks in strokes or curves and that can make it difficult for a dyslexic individual to know exactly which letter is in place.
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20. Lucida Handwriting
Image by Cufon Fonts
The Lucida Handwriting font family is a creation of two talented designers, Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes. It is a casual, connected script that was published by Monotype Library.
While it has an uppercase version, most people prefer using the lowercase version because that is what brings out its relaxed personality and vigorous energy. It is one of the worst fonts because the letters are connected.
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Wrapping Up
While all the fonts on this list can be excellent for creating both informal and formal texts, they are only impressive when used to communicate with regular audiences.
When creating something for dyslexics, it is important to avoid the fonts above and instead consider alternatives.
Some of the most dyslexic-friendly fonts include Arial, Helvetica, Comic Sans, Verdana, Century Gothic, and Tahoma. These alternatives are excellent because they tend to have regular spacing and shapes.
