Create Accessible Word Documents
Readable Fonts
Choosing more readable fonts benefits all viewers and readers but can be essential for those with sight or reading impairments. Prefer sans-serif fonts in size 12 or larger for Word documents.
Who readable fonts benefit
Clean, basic fonts make content easier to read everyone, but especially for people with dyslexia or people with low-vision.
This animation shows what dyslexia may look like to some individuals. Accessible font choices can minimize the effect.
Consult footnote[1] for an unmodified version of this text.
How to ensure accessible font usage
Word’s default paragraph font (Aptos) is an accessible, readable choice.
If you want to customize Word styles ensure you follow the accessible font best practices in the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning.
Font Size
Ensure body font is minimum size 12. On the Home tab choose Font and Font Size using the menus.
Notes, page numbers, or other header and footer content can be smaller than size 12.
Font Style
Avoid overly decorative fonts and exaggerated serifs. Serifs—the small ticks and lines at the end of a character stroke—can bleed together for some readers, making it harder for them to differentiate between characters and read content.
Prefer sans-serif fonts like Aptos, Calibri, Franklin Gothic, Helvetica, Montserrat, or Verdana.
When a serif font is desired, use unadorned fonts like Sitka, Times New Roman, or Cambria.
Avoid excessive use of italics and bold.
Alignment
Avoid long blocks of justified alignment. Prefer left-aligned text for languages that read left-to-right. Adjust alignment in the Paragraph group of the Home tab.
Plain Language
Use the Editor tool to check reading level. Navigate to Home > Editor and select Document Stats. Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 7-9 for general content.
Plain language helps readers:
- Find what they need.
- Understand what they find.
- Use what they’ve learned.
Consider your audience and context. Plain language is important in welcome messages, instructions, and announcements. However, learning material like articles, technical documents, or manuals will have significantly lower readability statistics.
Learn more about plain language.
Double Check
Word’s Accessibility Assistant does not check for accessible font usage. Follow the above best practices.
Next
Move to the next page to understand Accessible Colour or select another accessibility practice to learn about.
- "Dyslexia, previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability ('learning difficulty' in the UK) that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school. The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to learn." Dyslexia - Wikipedia “The one argument for accessibility that doesn’t get made nearly often enough is how extraordinarily better it makes some people’s lives. How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people’s lives just by doing our job a little better?” Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited ↵
