How to Use Word Spotlight to Highlight Words on Hover with Helperbird

Learn how to use Helperbird's Word spotlight to highlight words on hover. Complete guide for improving web accessibility and reading support.

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What is Word Spotlight?

Word spotlight (previously called Highlight word) adds a colored background to any word your mouse cursor passes over. As you move your mouse across the page, each word lights up as you hover over it.

This acts like a digital finger following along with your reading, making it much easier to track your place on the page.


Who is This For?

This feature is helpful for:

  • People who lose their place while reading
  • Anyone who struggles to focus on text
  • Students reading long articles or textbooks
  • People with dyslexia or attention difficulties
  • Anyone who wants visual feedback while reading

Step 1: Open Helperbird

Click the Helperbird icon in your browser toolbar. It looks like a small owl and is usually in the top-right corner of your browser.

This will open the Helperbird menu.


Step 2: Open the All Features Section

Scroll down to the bottom of the Helperbird menu. You will see a section called All Features.

Click the arrow next to All Features to expand it and show all available features.


Step 3: Find Word Spotlight

Look through the list of features until you see Word spotlight.

It has a spotlight icon on a red badge next to it.


Step 4: Turn on Word Spotlight

Click the toggle switch next to Word spotlight to turn it on. The toggle will turn green when it is enabled.

Now move your mouse over any text on the page. Each word you hover over will be highlighted with a colored background.

Tip: This feature works great when combined with other reading tools like the Reading Guide or text-to-speech for maximum focus.


Video Tutorial


Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please contact the Helperbird support team. You can reach us at Helperbird support. We are happy to help you get the most out of Helperbird.

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Huge fan of the zoom feature. It trumps the native zoom in your browser since the zoom level you set actually stays with you no matter what page you go to, which is very helpful and meshes well with the other features the app offers.

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