Dyslexia, in plain words
A practical guide to daily life with dyslexia. It covers reading, and the parts people talk about less: speed, memory and order.
Eleven short chapters. Each one stands alone, so start with the one you need.
Draft. A dyslexic reviewer checks this page before it goes live.
Start here
After this chapter you will know what this guide is and how to use it.
This is a practical guide to dyslexia. It is about daily life, at home and at work. The team at Humble wrote it. We make Humble, a tool that keeps your notes, tasks and ideas in one place. One chapter shows where Humble fits, with a clear label. The rest is just useful help.
Here is dyslexia in short. The NHS calls it a common learning difficulty. It mostly makes it hard to read and spell words. It can also affect how fast you take things in, how much you can hold in your head and how you keep things in order. It has nothing to do with how clever you are.
For the medical facts, read the NHS page on dyslexia (opens in a new tab). We will not repeat it here.
We built this page to be easy to read with dyslexia. The lines are short. The text lines up on the left. There are no slanted letters and no words in capitals. You can also have the page read out loud. Chapter 08 shows how.
This guide is general information. It is not medical advice. For a diagnosis, see chapter 09.
What is dyslexia?
After this chapter you will know what dyslexia is, and what it is not.
The short answer: dyslexia makes it hard to read and spell words fast and correctly. But it is about more than reading. It can also change how fast you deal with words, how much you hold in your head and how you keep things in order.
The main part
In the UK, experts often use the definition in the Rose Report, from 2009. It says dyslexia mainly affects reading and spelling words. It names three things that are typical:
- Sounds in words. Hearing and using the small sounds that make up a word. Experts call this phonological awareness.
- Memory for words. Holding on to words you hear or read.
- Speed with words. How fast your brain deals with words.
More than reading
- Processing speed. You may need more time to take in words, spoken or written. You understand them. It just takes longer.
- Working memory. This is the space where you hold things while you use them, like a phone number while you type it. With dyslexia it often holds less. So long instructions can slip away.
- Sequencing. This means keeping things in the right order, like the steps of a task. The NHS says many dyslexic adults find it hard to follow more than one instruction at a time.
- Organisation. Planning, managing time and keeping track of dates can take more effort.
What it is not
- It is not about how clever you are. Dyslexia appears in people at every level of ability.
- It is not yes or no. Dyslexia can be mild or strong. It is different in each person.
How common it is
The British Dyslexia Association thinks about 1 in 10 people in the UK are dyslexic.
How it differs from other conditions
People sometimes mix dyslexia up with other conditions. Dyslexia is mainly about words. Dyspraxia affects movement and coordination. Dyscalculia affects numbers. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects attention. Each one is its own condition. Our neurodiversity guide shows how they differ.
What is dyslexia good at?
After this chapter you will know the strengths people link to dyslexia, and how strong the proof is.
The short answer: many dyslexic people are good at big ideas and new ways of doing things. Research on this is new. So we keep it honest.
We do not call dyslexia a superpower. It can make school and work hard. And you do not need to be special to deserve help.
The British Dyslexia Association says many dyslexic people have strengths in these areas:
- Reasoning. Thinking a problem through and finding the answer.
- Visual thinking. Thinking in pictures, shapes and space.
- Creative work. Coming up with new ideas and making new things.
In 2022, two researchers, Helen Taylor and Martin Vestergaard, put forward a new idea. They think dyslexic brains may be better at exploring: finding new ideas and new ways to solve a problem. This idea still needs more tests. It is not proven yet.
If these strengths are not you, that is fine. Dyslexia is different in each person.
Why are long emails and documents so tiring?
After this chapter you will know why long texts use up your energy. You will also know how to make them shorter and easier.
The short answer: with dyslexia, each word takes a bit more effort to read. A long text has a lot of words. So it uses a lot of energy. The fix is less text, in a better shape, and using your ears as well as your eyes.
What it feels like
You open a long email. You read the first lines twice. By the end, you have lost the start. You leave it for later. Later, it is still there. Pages full of small text with no headings are the hardest.
What's happening
For most readers, reading a word is automatic. With dyslexia, it is less automatic. So your brain spends effort on each word, and less is left for the meaning. Your working memory may also hold less. So the start of a long sentence can fade before you get to the end.
What helps
- Listen to it. Text-to-speech reads words on a screen out loud. Most phones and computers have it built in. Chapter 08 shows where.
- Ask for the main point first. Ask people to put the main point and what they need from you at the top.
- Change how it looks. Make the text bigger. Add space between lines. Use a plain font.
Why can't I spell words I know?
After this chapter you will know why spelling stays hard. You will also know how to write at work without the worry.
The short answer: to spell a word, you link sounds to letters. That is harder with dyslexia. It is not about care or effort. Spelling is not the same as thinking.
What it feels like
You know the word. You can say it. You type it three ways, and none of them look right. The spell checker gives you the wrong word. So you use a simpler word instead. Your writing then sounds simpler than your thinking. You check one email many times before you send it.
What's happening
Spelling uses the same skills as reading words. You hear the small sounds in the word. Then you match each sound to letters. Dyslexia makes the sound part harder. So the word you know in your head does not come out right on the page. The NHS lists spelling words wrong as a common sign of dyslexia in adults.
What helps
- Talk instead of type. Speech-to-text writes down what you say. It is also called dictation.
- Use a spelling and grammar checker. Then have the text read back to you. Mistakes are often easier to hear than to see.
- Keep your work words in one place. Save the right spelling of names and words you use often. Copy them from there.
- Ask for a check on the big things. Ask someone to read an important document before it goes out. This is a normal thing to ask.
Why is it so hard to read when time is short?
After this chapter you will know why reading fast is hard with dyslexia. You will also know what to ask for.
The short answer: dyslexia often makes reading slower. Trying harder does not make it faster. More time is a fair thing to ask for.
What it feels like
Someone shares a screen in a meeting and says, "Take a quick look." A test at work has a clock. You read the same line again and again. Nothing goes in. The others are already talking about it.
What's happening
Reading words is less automatic with dyslexia. Your brain also deals with words more slowly. Together, this means reading takes longer. A short time limit turns that into a race. It tests your reading speed, not what you know.
What helps
- Get papers before the meeting. Ask for papers a day before, so you can read them at your own speed.
- Ask for more time. Ask for more time for tests and timed tasks.
- Get it in a form you can listen to. Ask for a document you can open on your own screen, so text-to-speech can read it to you.
- Ask for the main points. A short list of the main points helps you follow the talk while you read.
Why do I forget spoken instructions?
After this chapter you will know why spoken steps slip away. You will also know how to keep them.
The short answer: with dyslexia, working memory often holds less. Spoken words go by fast. So a list of steps said out loud can be gone before you use it. The fix is to get it written down.
What it feels like
Your manager gives you five steps as you walk past. You nod. Later you remember step one, and maybe step five. In meetings you listen hard. So you cannot write notes at the same time.
What's happening
Spoken steps go into working memory. You have to hold them there, in order, until you use them. Dyslexia can make memory for words harder. Research also finds that working memory often holds less with dyslexia. So when you hear several steps at once, some of them fall out.
What helps
- Ask for it in writing. Ask for a short message after the talk with the steps in a list.
- Say the steps back. Say the steps back in your own words. This shows you both if anything is missing.
- Save it at once. Write or record the steps in one place, straight after you hear them.
Humble helps you save things where you are. Save a note or a task in a few seconds, without changing apps. You can also send Humble a voice note in Slack. It appears on your timeline, so the steps are there when you need them.
What helps with dyslexia?
After this chapter you will know the tools that help, where to find them and how to make text easier to read.
The short answer: tools that turn text into sound and sound into text. Text that is laid out to be easy to read. And people who share things in writing.
Assistive technology
Assistive technology means tools that help you do a task in a different way. These are the main ones for dyslexia:
- Text-to-speech. It reads text on a screen out loud. It is built in to many devices. In Microsoft Word, Outlook and Edge it is part of Immersive Reader (opens in a new tab). On an iPhone, iPad or Mac it is called Spoken Content (opens in a new tab). On Android it is called Select to Speak (opens in a new tab).
- Speech-to-text. You talk, and it types what you say. Most phones and computers have it.
- Mind maps. You plan ideas as a picture, with lines between them, not as a long list.
- Spelling and grammar checkers. They find mistakes and suggest the right word.
Text that is easy to read
The British Dyslexia Association has a style guide for text that is easy to read. You can change these things on your own screen. You can also ask people who write for you to use them:
- A plain font. Use a font without small tails on the letters, such as Arial.
- Big enough text. Use 12 to 14 point text, or bigger if you need it.
- Space. Leave a bit more space between letters, and 1.5 line spacing between lines.
- Text on the left. Line text up on the left. Do not stretch it to fill the whole line.
- Bold, not slanted. Use bold to make words stand out. Do not use slanted letters (italics) or lines under words.
- A soft background. Use cream or a soft pale colour, not bright white.
Help that works for more than dyslexia
Some help works for many kinds of minds. For example, keeping things in one place, or getting thoughts out of your head. Our neurodiversity guide covers this, so we do not repeat it here: what helps across all of them.
Getting a diagnosis
After this chapter you will know who can test for dyslexia.
A doctor does not test for dyslexia. A full test is called a diagnostic assessment. In the UK, two kinds of expert can do it:
- A specialist teacher assessor. This is a teacher trained to assess dyslexia, who holds an Assessment Practising Certificate.
- A psychologist. For example, an educational psychologist. They must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Adults can be assessed too. The NHS does not pay for dyslexia assessments, so most adults pay for one themselves. The British Dyslexia Association can help you find an assessor.
You may see short checklists or screening tests online. They can show if you might be dyslexic. They are not a diagnosis. Only a full assessment can tell you for sure.
For how diagnosis works across all conditions, read getting a diagnosis in our neurodiversity guide.
Dyslexia at work
After this chapter you will know what is different about dyslexia at work, and where to read more.
Dyslexia will often count as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. That means your employer must make reasonable changes to help you. For dyslexia, these changes are often about reading and writing. Examples are text-to-speech software, a screen reader, a scanning pen that reads text out loud and mind map software.
Your rights, how to ask for changes and how Access to Work can help pay are all in our work guides. We do not repeat them here.
Sources and about this guide
Who wrote this, what it is based on and when we last checked it.
The team at Humble wrote this guide and keeps it up to date. Every fact in it comes from the sources below.
- NHS: Dyslexia (opens in a new tab), NHS: Dyslexia in adults (opens in a new tab) and NHS: Diagnosing dyslexia (opens in a new tab). What dyslexia is, signs in adults and who assesses it.
- Rose, J. (2009). Identifying and teaching children and young people with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. Department for Children, Schools and Families (opens in a new tab). The definition in chapter 02.
- British Dyslexia Association: Dyslexia (opens in a new tab). How common it is (about 1 in 10) and strengths.
- British Dyslexia Association: Signs of dyslexia in adults (opens in a new tab). Instructions, organisation and memory.
- British Dyslexia Association: Diagnostic assessment (opens in a new tab), Diagnosis for adults (opens in a new tab) and Dyslexia checklists (opens in a new tab). Who assesses, cost and screening.
- British Dyslexia Association: Dyslexia friendly style guide (2023) (opens in a new tab). Text that is easy to read, and how this page is built.
- British Dyslexia Association: Reasonable adjustments in the workplace (opens in a new tab). Assistive technology at work.
- Smith-Spark, J. H. and Fisk, J. E. (2007). Working memory functioning in developmental dyslexia. Memory, 15(1), 34 to 56 (opens in a new tab). Working memory in dyslexic adults.
- Taylor, H. and Vestergaard, M. D. (2022). Developmental dyslexia: disorder or specialization in exploration? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 889245 (opens in a new tab). The idea about exploring in chapter 03.
- Acas: Neurodiversity at work (opens in a new tab). Dyslexia and the Equality Act 2010.
- Microsoft: Immersive Reader (opens in a new tab), Apple: Hear what is on the screen (opens in a new tab) and Google: Select to Speak (opens in a new tab). Built-in text-to-speech.
Last reviewed: October 2026. We check this guide again every six months.
This guide is general information. It is not medical advice. For a diagnosis or your health, talk to a qualified professional.
Did you find a mistake? Is the page hard to read? Email us. We read every email.
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