Bionic Reader

About

Bionic Reader helps you read web pages more comfortably by bolding the beginning of each word. Your eyes can pick up the start of a word quickly and glide through the rest—useful for long articles, news, documentation, blogs, and any site with a lot of text.

HOW IT WORKS
When Bionic Reader is on, it walks through readable text on the page and applies “word fixation”: the first part of each word is shown in bold, and the remainder stays normal weight. You stay on the same website—nothing is sent to an external reader or app. Turn it off anytime and the page returns to normal.

KEY FEATURES
• Works on the websites you visit
• One-click toggle from the toolbar icon
• On by default after install (you can turn it off instantly)
• Two ways to control how much is bolded:
  – Percentage of letters in each word (default 50%)
  – Fixed number of leading letters (e.g. first 3 letters)
• Live preview in Options so you can see the effect before you save
• English and Spanish interface
• Welcome page on first install with a quick overview

WHAT WE SKIP
To keep pages usable, Bionic Reader does not change code blocks, scripts, form fields, text areas, or editable areas. It focuses on normal page content you actually read.

WHO IT’S FOR
Anyone who wants a calmer, faster scanning experience on the web—especially on dense pages with lots of paragraphs. Some people find bold word starts helpful for focus and readability; others prefer it off on certain sites. You’re always in control with the toolbar switch.

PERMISSIONS
• Storage: saves only your preferences on this device — whether Bionic Reader is on or off, and your fixation settings (percentage or first N letters)
• Access to sites: needed to apply the effect on the pages you open
Bionic Reader stores your preferences locally in the browser. It does not replace your browser’s security or the privacy practices of the sites you visit.

TIPS
• Reload a tab if a page loaded before you installed the extension
• Open Options to tune percentage vs. fixed letters to your taste
• Use the toolbar icon to disable the effect on sites where you want plain text