Copy-and-paste fonts are fun, but they have a hidden cost. Many people use screen readers, software that reads text aloud, and these tools don't always know what to do with styled Unicode letters. Here's what happens and how to use fancy fonts without shutting anyone out.
What a screen reader hears
To you, ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ผ looks like the word "Hello" in bold. To a computer, it's five symbols from a math character set. Depending on the screen reader and device, it might:
- read each letter's full name, something like "mathematical bold sans-serif capital H",
- spell the word out letter by letter,
- skip the characters entirely, or
- read it correctly, which newer software sometimes manages for common styles.
A whole bio written this way can turn into a long, confusing string of character names. Search tools have a similar problem: a styled word often won't match a normal search for that word.
Simple rules for using fancy fonts kindly
- Keep important words plain. Your name, what you do, prices, dates, links and calls to action should be normal text.
- Style a short accent, not whole paragraphs. One styled heading or a couple of words is plenty.
- Don't use styled text for hashtags. A styled hashtag won't link to the normal tag, and it's hard to read aloud.
- Prefer simpler styles. Bold and italic are more likely to be handled well than upside-down, strikethrough or decorated text.
- Use the app's own formatting when it exists. If a platform has a real bold button or markdown, as Discord does, use that instead. It's read correctly. See our Discord formatting guide.
A quick before and after
| Harder to use | Kinder version |
|---|
| ๐ข๐ช๐ป๐ช๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ | ๐๐ช๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ผ | ๐๐ป๐ญ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ท๐ธ๐ | ๐ข๐ช๐ป๐ช๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ | Baker in Leeds | Order now |
| ๐ก๐๐ช ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ 6๐ฃ๐ | ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ Friday 6 pm |
The kinder versions still stand out, but anyone can read the key details, and search can find them.
Not for documentsFor resumes, school work and business documents, use a real font from your editor's font menu instead. Our
resume font guide covers the best choices.
Questions
Do screen readers read fancy fonts?
Not reliably. Depending on the software, styled Unicode letters may be read as long character names, spelled out, skipped, or occasionally read correctly. Keep important information in plain text.
Is bold Unicode text bad for accessibility?
Used sparingly, it's usually fine. Problems come from styling whole sentences or key details like names and links. Use the platform's own bold formatting when it has one.
Do fancy fonts affect search?
Yes. A styled word is made of different characters from the plain word, so it often won't match a normal search. Keep keywords people might search for in plain text.