How to Choose Fonts for Accessibility and Readability

Readable typography isn't just polish — for many people it's the difference between using a site and giving up on it. Accessible font choices help everyone and are mostly common sense.

Choose a clear typeface

Favor fonts with open shapes, a generous x-height, and distinct letterforms. Avoid overly decorative or condensed fonts for body text. Both serif and sans-serif can be highly readable when well chosen.

Size and spacing

• Use a comfortable base size — around 16px or larger for body text.
• Set line-height to roughly 1.5 for paragraphs.
• Keep line length moderate; very long lines are hard to track.

Contrast

Text must contrast enough with its background. The WCAG accessibility guidelines recommend a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Light-gray-on-white body text is a frequent failure.

Respect user preferences

Don't disable browser zoom, and honor reduced-motion and dark-mode settings. Let users adjust text to their needs rather than locking the design.

Accessible type is simply good type — clear, appropriately sized, and high contrast. It improves the experience for every reader, not only those with specific needs.