Bionic Reader — rhoffmann

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.

PRIVACY & DATA
Bionic Reader does not collect or transmit your personal data to us or to third-party servers. Your on/off state and fixation settings are stored locally in the browser only. Processing happens on your device in the page you are viewing.

PERMISSIONS
• Storage: remembers whether Bionic Reader is on and your fixation settings (local only)
• Access to sites: needed to apply the reading effect on the pages you open
Bionic Reader 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