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Accessibility Development

Accessibility guide for Text Spacing

Text spacing is one of the simplest yet most important parts of making your digital content readable for everyone. Even small adjustments can make a huge difference for people with low vision, dyslexia, or cognitive challenges. If you’re new to accessibility, understanding text spacing and knowing how to adjust it is an easy way to make your websites, apps, or documents more inclusive.

Power of Spacecing

Increased spacing between paragraphs, lines, words, and characters benefits people with low vision or some cognitive disabilities. 1.4.12 Text spacing

Text spacing includes four main things:

Line height: The space between lines of text. Proper spacing makes reading easier and reduces eye strain.

Paragraph spacing: The space between paragraphs. Helps users see where one idea ends and another begins.

Letter spacing: The space between letters. Important for people with dyslexia or reading difficulties.

Word spacing: The space between words. Helps prevent words from blending together.

If spacing is too tight, text can feel crowded and hard to read. If it’s too wide, it can break the flow of reading. Finding the right balance is key.

Testing Text Spacing

Testing is easier than it seems. Here’s how to check if your spacing works: Increase text size in your browser to see if lines and paragraphs remain readable.

Here are some easy method to test and fix spacing:

Bookmarklets: Quick scripts you can save to your browser to increase spacing instantly. Example:

document.body.style.lineHeight = "1.5";
document.body.style.letterSpacing = "0.12em";
document.body.style.wordSpacing = "0.16em";

Alternatively, you can use  Text Spacing Bookmarklet 

Do you know Accessibility Testing tools like Deque Axe or TPGi ARC Toolkit can flag spacing issues as part of a larger accessibility audit?

Tips for Developers

Here’s a simple approach for developers:

  1. Use Relative Units: Use em or rem instead of pixels so spacing scales with text size.
  2. Set Line Height: A good starting point is 1.5 for body text.
  3. Adjust Letter and Word Spacing: Small increases can improve readability for users with reading challenges.
  4. Add Paragraph Spacing: Make sure paragraphs have enough space so content doesn’t feel cramped.
  5. Test Responsiveness: Check your spacing on mobile, tablet, and desktop to ensure it works everywhere.

Example CSS:

body {
    line-height: 1.5;
    letter-spacing: 0.12em;
    word-spacing: 0.16em;
}

p {
    margin-bottom: 1.5em;
}

Tips for Designers

  • Avoid fonts that are too condensed; they need more letter spacing.
  • Keep headings, lists, and paragraphs consistent with spacing rules.
  • Test your designs at larger text sizes to see how spacing scales.

Conclusion

If you’re new to accessibility, adjusting text spacing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make your content more readable and inclusive. By tweaking line height, paragraph spacing, and letter/word spacing, and testing across different devices and user needs, you’re making sure your design works for everyone.

At its core, accessibility isn’t just about how things look; it’s about how they work. Make sure all content is easy to access, with no text getting cut off or overlapping.

Small changes can make a big difference, improving the overall experience and ensuring that your content is not just available, but truly usable by all.