Comic Sans has a reputation as a dyslexia-friendly font, and some dyslexic readers do find it easier to read. But the scientific evidence is surprisingly thin. Studies comparing Comic Sans to standard fonts like Arial and Times New Roman have found no measurable improvement in reading speed or accuracy for dyslexic readers. The real picture is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
Why Comic Sans Seems Like It Should Help
The case for Comic Sans rests on a few specific design features. Its letters are slightly irregular, mimicking handwriting rather than the precise geometry of most typed fonts. This means that commonly confused letters like b, d, p, and q each have a slightly different shape rather than being mirror images of one another. For people with dyslexia, who often struggle to distinguish these mirrored characters, that visual distinction could theoretically reduce errors.
Comic Sans is also a sans-serif font, meaning its letters lack the small decorative strokes at the tips of characters. Without serifs, there tends to be more visible space between characters, which can make text feel less crowded. The British Dyslexia Association has noted that letters in Comic Sans “can appear less crowded” than in other fonts, and includes it in their style guide alongside Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, and Trebuchet as recommended options.
What the Research Actually Shows
Despite the logical appeal, controlled studies have not found that Comic Sans improves reading performance. Research comparing it to Arial and Times New Roman found no evidence that the font had a positive effect on reading speed or accuracy. Dyslexic readers didn’t read faster, make fewer mistakes, or comprehend more when using Comic Sans versus a standard sans-serif font like Arial.
This pattern holds for purpose-built dyslexia fonts too. OpenDyslexic, a font specifically designed with weighted bottoms on letters to prevent them from “flipping” visually, performed no better than conventional fonts in reading tests. A study with dyslexic participants found that OpenDyslexic didn’t lead to faster reading, and participants significantly preferred Verdana or Helvetica over it. Similarly, a study of 170 Dutch dyslexic students found no performance benefit from the Dyslexie font compared to Arial, and more children actually preferred Arial.
A large survey by the Readability Group involving over 2,000 participants confirmed this disconnect. People who self-identified as having strong dyslexia were more likely to say they liked Comic Sans, OpenDyslexic, and Dyslexie compared to non-dyslexic respondents. But even among those with strong dyslexia, these fonts were still the least popular options overall. Preference didn’t translate into better performance, and the preference itself was weaker than many assume.
Preference and Performance Are Different Things
This gap between what feels helpful and what measurably helps is one of the most consistent findings in dyslexia font research. Some dyslexic readers genuinely feel more comfortable with Comic Sans, and that subjective experience matters. Feeling less anxious or more confident while reading can affect willingness to engage with text, which is especially important for children developing literacy skills. But when researchers measure the outcomes that matter most, like how quickly and accurately someone reads, the font choice makes little difference compared to other factors.
One reason for this disconnect may be familiarity. Comic Sans has been widely used in educational materials for decades, so many dyslexic readers encountered it during early literacy instruction. That association with comfortable, low-pressure reading environments could drive preference without actually changing how the brain processes the text.
What Matters More Than Font Choice
Font size has a far larger measurable impact on dyslexic reading than typeface. A study testing dyslexic readers across sizes from 10 to 26 points found that reading performance improved steadily up to 18 points, with no additional benefit beyond that. If you’re formatting text for a dyslexic reader, bumping the size to 18 points will likely do more than switching to Comic Sans.
Interestingly, line spacing, which is often recommended as a dyslexia accommodation, showed no significant effect on readability in the same study. Researchers tested spacing from 0.8 to 1.8 lines and found no measurable difference in how long readers fixated on text. The default spacing of 1.0 performed just as well as wider options.
Neither WCAG (the web accessibility standard) nor Section 508 (the U.S. federal accessibility requirement) specifies particular typefaces or even a minimum font size. There is no official accessibility standard that requires or recommends Comic Sans. The British Dyslexia Association’s style guide simply recommends “a plain, evenly spaced sans serif font such as Arial and Comic Sans,” treating Comic Sans as one acceptable option among several rather than a uniquely effective choice.
The Bottom Line on Comic Sans and Dyslexia
Comic Sans is a perfectly fine font for dyslexic readers, but it isn’t special. Any clean, evenly spaced sans-serif font like Arial, Verdana, or Tahoma performs just as well in research. The features that supposedly make Comic Sans uniquely helpful, like its irregular letterforms, haven’t translated into measurable reading improvements in controlled studies.
If you or someone you know with dyslexia finds Comic Sans more comfortable, there’s no reason not to use it. Comfort and confidence while reading have real value. But if you’re a teacher, designer, or developer trying to make text accessible, you don’t need to use Comic Sans specifically. Focus on a generous font size (18 points is the sweet spot for screen reading), choose any plain sans-serif font, and ensure good contrast between text and background. Those choices will do more for readability than any single typeface.