Free speed reading extension for Chrome & Edge Read with clarity. Designed for your eyes.
HalfBold Reader is a free Chrome and Edge extension that bolds the first letters of every word, guiding your eyes through articles, docs and newsletters with more speed and focus.
On a phone? Open this page on your computer to install.
Runs in your browser·No account needed·Works on Chrome, Edge, Brave & Arc
INTERACTIVE PLAYGROUND
Feel the difference in real-time.
Compare normal text with saccadic guidance side-by-side. Test intensities and styles live below:
A good reading space starts with a few small choices.
By anchoring the initial letters of each word, your eyes jump forward with zero hesitation.
Compare both sides to feel how effortlessly your mind absorbs the formatted text.
Normal text: requires manual eye fixations on every letter group.
A good reading space starts with a few small choices.
By anchoring the initial letters of each word, your eyes jump forward with zero hesitation.
Compare both sides to feel how effortlessly your mind absorbs the formatted text.
With HalfBold: anchors eye focus on word roots for fluid reading.
Free on any website · 5 customizable styles · Zero registration
ENGINEERED FOR DEEP WORK
Everything your gaze needs to stay locked in.
Most web text is visually chaotic. HalfBold introduces rhythm, visual anchors, and adaptive contrast to restore calm to long-form reading.
Saccadic Fixation Guidance
Your eyes jump between fixation points rather than gliding along a line. HalfBold Reader emphasizes the opening letters of each word to give every jump a clear anchor, so it is easier to keep your place.
Your brain recognizes words faster when the visual anchor pulls your focus forward.
Saccadic guidance restores natural flow without forcing you to scan letter by letter.
Dyslexia & ADHD Support
OpenDyslexic's weighted letter bottoms are designed to make look-alike letters such as b, d, p and q easier to tell apart. Free on every site.
Distraction-Free Focus
Dims everything except the current line, three lines or paragraph in the Reader and PDF reader, so your gaze stays on the text you are reading.
The peripheral paragraphs softly recede into darkness...
→ Only the active sentence shines at 100% luminance.
Preventing your gaze from skipping lines or losing track.
PDF Reader, Google Docs & On-Device OCR
Multi-column PDFs and dense Google Docs open in a calm reader with reflow. Scanned pages are recognized with on-device OCR, so documents are not uploaded. Pro also unlocks unlimited RSVP, the guided reading pacer, reading profiles and extra themes. Preview the first 2 pages of any document free.
Smart Domain Rules
Add the sites you read once and HalfBold formats them on every visit; keep it paused on coding tools and dashboards.
Two Rendering Engines
Classic (default) bolds the text itself for the widest compatibility. On complex apps like Gmail and Notion, switch to Modern: it paints highlights with the CSS Custom Highlight API without touching the page.
Reader & File Converter
Open EPUB, DOCX and TXT files in the HalfBold reader, converted in your browser without uploads. First 2 pages free, full files with Pro.
Reading without distractions and cloud tracking.
TRANSPARENT ANSWERS
Questions before you install.
Straight answers about free features, HalfBold Pro, privacy and how on-device OCR works.
Answers checked against the extension on .
What is HalfBold Reader?
HalfBold Reader is a free Chrome and Edge extension that makes the first letters of each word bold (half-bold word emphasis) on webpages, with adjustable intensity, five highlight styles, fonts including OpenDyslexic, colors and per-site rules. HalfBold Pro is a planned optional upgrade, not on sale yet, that will add full PDF and Google Docs reading, RSVP speed reading without limits, a guided reading pacer, reading profiles, Focus mode and extra reader themes.
Is HalfBold Reader free?
Yes. Installing the extension and formatting webpages is free, with no account. Free users can also preview the first 2 pages of a PDF or Google Doc in the reader, use Light and Dark reader themes, and speed read up to 500 words per launch in the RSVP reader. HalfBold Pro is planned and not on sale yet. Until it launches, free users can preview the document tools: the first 2 pages of any PDF or Google Doc and 500 RSVP words per launch.
What does HalfBold Pro add?
HalfBold Pro is planned and not on sale yet. When it launches, it will unlock full PDF and Google Docs reading (all pages, reflow, local OCR for scanned PDFs), unlimited RSVP one-word-at-a-time reading, the guided reading pacer, one-click reading profiles, Focus mode and Pro reader themes beyond Light and Dark.
Can I use it with PDFs and Google Docs?
Yes. PDFs can be read in their original layout or in a reflowed text view, and scanned pages can be recognized with on-device OCR. Google Docs opens in a dedicated reader without publishing the document to the web. The first 2 pages are free to preview; full documents need HalfBold Pro.
Does HalfBold Reader upload my documents?
No. Webpage formatting, PDF rendering and OCR run in your browser. If an OCR language model is not bundled, HalfBold asks before downloading it. Optional neural text-to-speech voices are an online service, so text you choose to read aloud with them is sent to that speech service. See the privacy policy for details.
Will it make me read faster or help with dyslexia or ADHD?
Reading preferences differ. HalfBold Reader offers adjustable word emphasis, fonts such as OpenDyslexic, RSVP and a reading pacer so you can find what feels comfortable. It does not guarantee faster reading or better comprehension and is not a medical treatment.
Which languages does it work with?
Word emphasis works in any language that separates words with spaces, such as English, Spanish, Portuguese or German, including accented letters. Japanese and Chinese have no spaces between words, so that text is not emphasized word by word; the RSVP reader and the guided pacer still split it into words. The extension’s menus and settings are also available in Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese and Chinese.
Which browsers are supported?
HalfBold Reader installs from the Chrome Web Store on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, and on most Chromium-based desktop browsers that accept Chrome Web Store extensions, such as Brave and Arc.
Is there a Safari, iPhone or iPad version?
Not yet. HalfBold Reader currently runs on Chrome, Edge and other Chromium-based desktop browsers. An Apple version (iPhone, iPad and Safari on Mac) is planned as one project, and demand decides when it ships: vote for it with one tap, no email or account needed.
How do I start?
Install HalfBold Reader from the Chrome Web Store (listed as “Half Bold”), pin it to the toolbar, open any article and press Alt+B (Option+B on Mac) or click the extension icon.
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Read with clarity on every webpage.
Install in under a minute from the Chrome Web Store. Free for webpage reading, no signup required.
Free webpage tools · No account needed
On a phone? Open this page on your computer to install.
HalfBold on iPhone, iPad & Safari? You decide.
There’s no Apple version yet. One tap tells us you’d use it: no email, no account. If enough readers want it, we’ll build it.
- iPhone
- iPad
- Safari on Mac
Anonymous: we store a random id per browser, nothing else.