Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

11 results found in dyslexia.

Character Spacing (Letter Spacing, Tracking)
The horizontal space between individual characters in a line of text. Research has shown that increasing character spacing significantly improves reading speed and accuracy for people with dyslexia. T…
Dyslexia Screening (Dyslexia Assessment, Reading Disability Screening)
The process of identifying individuals who may be at risk for dyslexia, typically through standardized tests that assess reading fluency, phonological awareness, rapid naming, and other cognitive indi…
OpenDyslexic (Open Dyslexic)
A free, open-source typeface specifically designed to improve readability for people with dyslexia. The font uses heavier bottom portions on letters to help prevent visual rotation and uses unique let…
Orthographic Depth (Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)
A measure of how consistently a written language maps between its spelling (graphemes) and pronunciation (phonemes). Shallow or transparent orthographies like Spanish, Finnish, and Italian have highly…
Orthographic Depth (Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)
The degree of consistency in the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a writing system. Languages with shallow or transparent orthography — like Finnish, Spanish, and Ital…
Orthography (Spelling System, Writing System)
The conventional spelling system of a language, including the rules and patterns that govern how sounds (phonemes) are represented by written symbols (graphemes). Languages vary in orthographic depth:…
Real Word Error (Real-Word Spelling Error)
A spelling error that results in a correctly spelled but unintended word, such as typing "hear" instead of "here" or "their" instead of "there." Real word errors are particularly common among people w…
Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (Irlen Syndrome, Visual Stress, Meares-Irlen Syndrome)
A perceptual processing condition in which the brain has difficulty handling certain visual information, particularly high-contrast patterns like black text on a bright white background. People with s…
Visual Attention Span (VAS, Visual Attention Window)
The number of distinct visual elements that can be processed simultaneously in a single glance. Visual attention span is a cognitive capacity linked to reading ability — when reading, the eyes fixate …
Visuospatial Attention (Visual-Spatial Attention, Visuospatial Processing)
The cognitive ability to attend to, process, and mentally manipulate visual and spatial information in the environment. Visuospatial attention involves orienting to locations in space, tracking object…
Word Retrieval (Word Finding, Lexical Retrieval)
The cognitive process of accessing and selecting the correct word from memory to express an intended meaning during writing or speech. People with dyslexia frequently experience word retrieval difficu…