#26 Choosing Accessible Fonts: Because Your Words Deserve to Be Read

Jul 21

Mini-Series: Building an Accessible Website (Even If Tech Isn’t Your Thing)

So you’ve nailed your colors on your buttons, links, and headings—but what about your fonts?

The font you choose doesn’t just affect your site’s look; it plays a huge role in whether your content is easy to read or makes people (and magical creatures) give up halfway through your home page.

Let’s break down the basics—and help you pick fonts that are stylish and reader-friendly.

First, What Makes a Font “Accessible”?

Accessibility Rule: Use fonts that are easy to read across all devices and user needs—including folks with visual processing disabilities, dyslexia, or low vision.

Good fonts are:

Clear and consistent in letter shapes
Not too decorative or squished together
Easily distinguishable between similar characters (like 1, I, l)

Serif vs. Sans-Serif Fonts: What’s the Difference?

Serif fonts have little “feet” or decorative strokes on the ends of letters.
Example: Times New Roman, Georgia
(My headings are Georgia. See the little feet sticking out on the bottom of the letters??)
They feel classic and bookish—great for printed material or large headlines.
Sans-serif fonts are clean and simple, without the feet.
Example: Arial, Verdana, Open Sans
(Notice how this font doesn’t have exaggerated feet on most letters)
These are easier to read on screens, especially for body text.

When to Use Each Type

Use sans-serif fonts for your website’s body text (no feet! 👣). They’re clearer on screens and easier for most readers.
Use serif fonts sparingly—for things like section headings, quotes, or stylized logos—where they won’t overwhelm.

Fonts That Are Designed for Accessibility

These fonts were built with visual clarity and inclusive reading experiences in mind:

  
      Font Name
      Why It's Great
    
      Open Dyslexic
      Designed to reduce letter confusion for dyslexic readers 
    
      Atkinson Hyperlegible
      (This font!) Created for low-vision readers. It has clear, open shapes that are easier to read
    
      Arial
      Clean, simple, widely supported
    
      Verdana
      Generous spacing, optimized for on-screen reading
    
      Tahoma
      Clear, bold characters, good for small sizes
    
      Georgia
      One of the few serif fonts designed to be readable on screens)

      Roboto
      Modern and screen-friendly, used widely across web/mobile

Need to Do Next:

Review your website’s fonts: Are they easy to read at all sizes?
Use sans-serif fonts for paragraphs, forms, and buttons
Limit decorative fonts to headings or special accents
Avoid overly stylized or cursive fonts for large text blocks

Let’s Talk!

Have you found a font you love that’s also reader-friendly? Or did you have to break up with a pretty but unreadable typeface? Share your favorite accessible fonts in the comments!

And if you’re on a journey to make your author site readable, welcoming, and built to last (even under fae enchantments), subscribe to my newsletter. It’s full of friendly tips, a little sparkle, and no Comic Sans in sight.

Maisie Meyers