LucidRead

About

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