How to Use Word Spotlight on Any Website

Learn how to use word spotlight. Highlight individual words while reading for better focus Support accessibility for everyone. Learn how to use Helperbird's Word Spotlight feature to highlight text as you read. Focus on content more easily with a spotlight effect that follows your cursor.

What is Word Spotlight?

Word Spotlight creates a spotlight effect that highlights the area around your cursor as you move it across a webpage. This helps you focus on specific text by making the surrounding content less prominent. It works like shining a flashlight on what you are reading.


Who is This For?

This feature is helpful for:

  • People who have difficulty tracking text while reading
  • Anyone with attention difficulties like ADHD
  • People who get distracted by surrounding content
  • Readers who lose their place on busy webpages
  • Anyone who wants to focus on one section at a time

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: Go to 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.


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.


Step 5: Read with Focus

Move your mouse cursor across the webpage.

A spotlight effect will follow your cursor, highlighting the text near it while dimming the rest of the page. This helps you focus on the content you are currently reading.

Move your cursor down the page as you read to keep the spotlight on the text you are looking at.

Tip: Word Spotlight works great with articles and long text content. Combine it with a dyslexia-friendly font or increased text size for an even better reading experience.


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.

What People Are Saying

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This is my first google review ever! I have to share that the accessibility and support for independent access for students that Helperbird provides, is a game changer. It is constantly being updated with new features based on feedback and it is extremely user friendly. The ability to customize the settings allows students to have control over their own learning, aligning with Universal Design for Learning. Looking forward to sharing with students and fellow educators on a daily basis. Thanks, Helperbird team!

Kelli Suding

Kelli Suding

Assistive technology specialist

I've been meaning to write this review for a while now. My daughter is newly diagnosed with dyslexia and I heard an interview with Robert on a Newstalk podcast and sought it out. I wasn't sure if I had it installed correctly on her laptop and Robert was on straight away to help. He was amazing. This app has changed everything for my daughter. Everything is accessible to her and everyday tasks and schoolwork are so much easier. She also has visual stress so the coloured overlay feature is a game changer for her. I would highly recommend this app to anyone, she couldn't be without it now!

James Summer

James Summer

Helperbird user

Helperbird is an excellent extension supporting a range of learning differences. Aside from providing many evidence-based dyslexia-assistive tools, the extension also functions as an easy-to-use, feature-rich web experience customization tool suitable to support a wide range of cognitive differences (i.e., color blindness and ADHD-related focus concerns, among others). Also, the developer is a very good person who supports the various learning-different communities in many ways, including by designing the free version of Helperbird to provide enough functionality to be beneficial to people who cannot afford to subscribe to the full-function version.

Kirk Smith

Kirk Smith

Helperbird user

Awesome! I don't suffer fatigue when I use this extension. Highly Recommended

G OA

G OA

Helperbird user

omg i can actually read now

Spin F.

Spin F.

Helperbird user

I purchased this for my daughter who has been having a lot of difficulty accessing the online work set remotely by her teachers during our National Lockdown because of Covid-19. Her dyslexia was really hindering her ability to complete tasks and keep up which in turn led to increased anxiety levels...a really horrid place to be in during a global pandemic! Helper bird has been a vast help and I fully recommend it and wish more schools knew about it. Thank You Helper Bird.

Michelle Howard-Price

Michelle Howard-Price

Assistive technology specialist

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