LucidRead

Free reading accessibility by Jim Tyler. Typography, overlays, reader mode, TTS, dictionary, and classroom tools — all private.

LucidRead is a free, open-source Chrome extension that makes any web page easier to read for students with dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing difficulties, and language barriers. Every feature works offline, requires no account, and collects zero data. Built by a special education technologist for teachers, SLPs, and families — not by a corporation selling $30/year subscriptions for CSS changes. 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 Reader Mode — strip ads, sidebars, and clutter for a clean reading view Typography — choose from 8+ fonts (Lexend, OpenDyslexic, and more), adjust letter spacing, word spacing, line height, and text size Color Overlays — cream, yellow, blue, green, peach, or custom tints to reduce visual stress and glare Reading Ruler & Line Focus — on-screen guides that help you track the current line Line Tracking — three patent-safe modes: alternating line colors, color-coded borders, and active line highlight Bionic Reading — bold-first-letters technique for faster visual scanning Dark Mode & High Contrast — reduce eye strain in any lighting Auto Scroll & Progress Bar — hands-free reading with visual progress 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗢 Text to Speech — read any page aloud with word-by-word highlighting for multimodal reinforcement Voice Typing — speech to text dictation Speed Read — RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) mode Volume Boost — amplify audio and video on any page Hover to Listen — hear any word by hovering over it 𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗚𝗘 & 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 Bilingual Tooltips — hover any word for an instant translation in 100+ languages, powered by offline Wiktionary data (no cloud API, no per-word charge) Dictionary — click any word for definition and pronunciation Picture Dictionary — 8,000+ AAC symbols from the TapSpeak library, so nonverbal students see the same symbols they use on their communication device Morpheme Breakdown — visualize prefixes, roots, and suffixes Syllable Breakdown — split words into chunks (fam·i·ly) for easier decoding Parts of Speech — color-coded nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs Word Prediction — suggestions as you type Simplify — reduce complex text to simpler language Text Stats — word count, reading level, estimated read time 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Multi-color Highlighting — mark up any page with export Sticky Notes — draggable notes that persist across page visits Notes — quick notepad for thoughts and observations Reading List — save pages to read later 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 Hide Images — remove visual distractions Reduce Motion — stop CSS animations Video Autoplay Control — stop auto-playing videos Cursor Size — enlarge the mouse cursor for tracking Color Blindness Support — enhanced link visibility and color adjustments Visual Aids — additional tools for low-vision users Save as EPUB — download any page for offline reading Focus Timer — Pomodoro-style reading sessions OCR / Screenshot Reader — extract text from images using Tesseract.js (runs locally, no cloud) 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠 & 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 Quick Profiles — one-tap presets for Dyslexia, ADHD, Low Vision, and ESL Google Docs Integration — LucidRead features work inside Google Docs Classroom Mode — tools for teachers and SLPs managing student accommodations TapSpeak Ecosystem — optionally connect to sync settings and export reading analytics for IEP documentation 100+ UI Languages — the extension interface itself is translated into over 100 languages, so a Telugu-speaking teacher can configure reading tools in Telugu 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗? Other reading accessibility extensions charge $30–$400 per student per year and lock basic features like font size, letter spacing, and dark mode behind paywalls. Some depend on Microsoft Azure cloud services that stop working without internet. LucidRead is different: Free forever — no tiers, no trials, no "upgrade to Pro" Works fully offline — every feature runs locally after install No account required — works out of the box, zero data collection No cloud dependencies — no Microsoft Azure, no APIs that can be deprecated Open source — audit the code, fork it, contribute to it COPPA & FERPA compliant by design — no data leaves your device unless you opt in