Reading with ADHD: Fonts That Actually Help

Reading with ADHD. Yay.

We lose focus on everything - and when we DO have time to “sit and read a book” - we are distracted by our own brains and interrupted by our own kids. Why do we even try!? Because we want to read. Because we are curious about a thousand things. Because we like to read, and we like the idea of reading. Also - because we have some kind of subscription, and if we don’t read all the books, we feel like we’re wasting time and money…

I am considering getting a Kindle Paperwhite. I have an iPad, but distractions are everywhere. Plus the glare… plus a child uses it and it’s always dead when I’m ready to sit down and read.

I was trying to figure out if it could play audiobooks (it can—Bluetooth for the win!) - because I have a subscription with Audible haha. And then I remembered about fonts - and it hit me: I needed to share this with you all.

Reading with ADHD is a struggle, and as busy moms, we don’t have time to wrestle with tiny text or wandering brains. Here’s what I found - simple, practical, and ADHD-mom-approved.

OpenDyslexic: My Old Friend I Forgot About

I’ve used OpenDyslexic before, and it worked. It’s this chunky, clear font that makes letters less jumbly - perfect for reading with ADHD. The bottoms are heavier, so my eyes don’t skip around as much. I’d totally forgotten about it (classic ADHD move, right?), but digging into my Kindle settings on the iPhone reminded me. It’s built into a lot of devices now - phones, tablets, e-readers. I’m kicking myself for not sticking with it. Time to try it again. If you’ve got a kid with ADHD or just need words to stay put, check it out. No fancy setup - just switch your font and go.

Bionic Reading: Cool, But Too Much Work

Then there’s Bionic Reading. It bolds parts of words to pull your eyes along—sounds genius for reading with ADHD, right? I got excited imagining zooming through articles. But here’s the catch: you have to convert files yourself. Download this, tweak that—ugh, no thanks, I’m not spending 20 minutes prepping just to read a 5-minute blog post. Cool idea, but it’s off my list. We need fast fixes.

Other Fonts That Click

If OpenDyslexic isn’t your vibe, try these—they’re simple and cut the clutter:

• Ember: Clean, no extra squiggles. Feels calm on the brain.

• Verdana: Big, spaced-out letters. Easy to track when you’re half-distracted by a toddler meltdown.

Most devices let you tweak fonts in settings. On my Kindle, it’s under the “Aa” button. Play with size and spacing, too - bigger text and extra room between lines keep me from zoning out.

Quick ADHD Mom Hacks

• Dark Mode: Flip your screen to black with white text. Less glare, less “where was I?”

• Short Goals: Set your device to show “time left in chapter.” Little wins keep me hooked.

Why This Matters

Reading with ADHD doesn’t have to suck. Between school emails, grocery lists, and pretending I’ve got it all together, I need words to cooperate (ok, I need everyone to cooperate, but I’ll take what I can get.)

OpenDyslexic is my go-to again - I’m testing it this week. Besides the font - I have also started using reading glasses, but that’s a side quest that I won’t go into here :)

What’s your trick for staying focused while you read? Drop it below - I’m all ears (or eyes…. let me get my reading glasses first…)