Reading Ruler & Color Overlay Online Free

Free online reading ruler and color overlay tool. Helps people with dyslexia, visual stress, and reading difficulty track text more comfortably. Line highlight, focus window, and colored overlays — all in your browser.

How to Use

1

Paste or type the text you want to read into the text area.

2

Tap a preset (Dyslexia, Focus or Soft) or choose a ruler mode yourself: line highlight isolates one line, focus window shows a few lines, underline gives a simple guide.

3

Optionally add a color overlay — many people find yellow or blue reduces visual stress.

4

Adjust text size, line height, and letter spacing for comfort.

5

Move your mouse or finger over the text — the ruler steps from line to line. Tap a line to put the ruler on it.

6

Click "Lock Ruler" or the line itself to fix the ruler in place; the ↑ ↓ arrow keys move a locked ruler one line at a time.

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Use a visual reading ruler to reduce eye strain from dyslexia and visual stress

Continue from where you left off?
.txt, .epub, .fb2, .pdf
Extracting text...
Presets

15%
18px
2.0
0px
1.0x
Paste text above to start reading.
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Features

4 ruler modes: line highlight, focus window, underline, or off
Isolate a single line, reveal a few lines at once, or sit a simple underline beneath the text — whichever keeps your eyes from sliding between rows.
7 color overlays: yellow, blue, pink, green, peach, lavender
Tinting the whole page softens the harsh black-on-white contrast that makes text shimmer or blur for readers with visual stress.
A ruler that fits the line at any text size
The strip snaps to the line under your cursor or finger and adjusts to the font size and line spacing on its own; the focus window shows 2, 3 or 5 whole lines.
Multiple font options including dyslexia-friendly fonts
Pasted articles, homework, or ebooks re-render in a clearer typeface, pairing the ruler with letter shapes that are easier to tell apart.
Presets: dyslexia, focus and soft
One tap sets the font, size, spacing, overlay and ruler mode together; you can still fine-tune any setting by hand afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a reading ruler?

A reading ruler (also called a reading strip or line guide) is a visual aid that highlights one line of text at a time while dimming the rest. It helps readers track text more easily, reducing skipping lines and losing your place.

How do color overlays help with reading?

Color overlays reduce visual stress (also called Meares-Irlen syndrome or scotopic sensitivity) by changing the contrast between text and background. Research shows that for some readers, specific colors make text appear more stable and comfortable to read.

Which color overlay is best?

There is no single best color — it varies by individual. Yellow and blue are the most commonly preferred. Try each option and choose the one that makes text feel most comfortable and stable to your eyes.

Is this only for dyslexia?

No. Reading rulers and overlays help anyone who finds on-screen reading tiring, including people with visual stress, ADHD, learning differences, or those who simply read large amounts of text. Many neurotypical readers also benefit.

Does it work with any text?

Yes. Paste any text — articles, homework, emails, ebooks, study notes — into the text area. The tool renders it with your chosen settings for comfortable reading.

💡 Want us to improve this tool just for you?

We can! Just send us a quick message with your idea. If you'd like to discuss it in detail, leave your email and we'll get back to you. You can stay anonymous.

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Who is this tool for?
📚 Educators & Teachers ♿ Accessibility Users
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