Anki is the most powerful flashcard tool available, but dyslexic learners often hit a wall with its default setup. The interface assumes comfortable reading, and every customization that would help a dyslexic user requires finding add-ons, editing HTML templates, or writing CSS. For someone who just wants to study without fighting the tool, that is a lot of friction upfront.
This page walks through what Anki can do for dyslexic learners, how to configure it, and where it still falls short compared to purpose-built alternatives.
The first step is installing the OpenDyslexic font add-on from AnkiWeb, which changes the card font to one designed to reduce letter confusion. After that, go into each deck's card template and add a small CSS block setting font-family to OpenDyslexic, increasing line-height to around 1.6, and bumping font-size to at least 18px. This takes about ten minutes per deck once you know where to look. The bigger challenge is audio. Anki does not auto-play text-to-speech unless you add a recorded audio file or use the AwesomeTTS add-on to generate speech. For large decks, generating audio for every card is time-consuming but dramatically improves the experience for learners who process information better by hearing it than reading it.
Even a well-configured Anki deck is still fundamentally a text-first tool. The review interface, deck browser, and statistics screens are all dense and small by default, which can be fatiguing over a long session. Anki also has no built-in high contrast mode for the main application chrome, only for card content you control via CSS. Mobile Anki (AnkiDroid, AnkiMobile) inherits your card styling but the surrounding app interface is out of your control. If you need a tool that is accessible by default without configuration work, Anki requires more investment than most learners want to put in before they even start studying.
Anki can be made dyslexia-friendly, but it takes real setup time and some technical comfort. If you are willing to configure it once, the spaced repetition quality is excellent. If you want something that works without setup, look elsewhere. Gridually's spatial encoding is based on memory research from the University of Chicago, University of Bonn, and Macquarie University.
Look for text-to-speech on every card, support for dyslexia-friendly fonts like OpenDyslexic, adjustable font size, high contrast mode, and a clean uncluttered layout. Auto-play audio removes the need to trigger reading before the information registers.
Anki can be configured for dyslexia but requires significant manual setup. You need to install an OpenDyslexic add-on, edit card templates, and configure text-to-speech separately. Out of the box it is not dyslexia-friendly. The flexibility is there if you are willing to do the work.
Spatial associations can reduce reliance on sequential text decoding. Connecting information to a visual location rather than a written sequence gives some dyslexic learners an alternative retrieval pathway. It works best as a complement to other strategies, not a standalone fix.