Reading and extraction
Distraction-free reading
Also called Focus reading, Calm reading
Distraction-free reading is an approach to presenting text that removes competing elements — ads, autoplay video, newsletter prompts, social modules, notifications — so attention stays on a single column of content. The reader controls type size, line width, and theme instead of the publisher.
Why it changes comprehension
Interruption is expensive. Every popup, sticky header, or moving element costs a re-orientation, and on a long article those costs compound into rereading and abandonment. Removing them is less about aesthetics than about protecting a continuous thread of attention.
Line length and contrast matter for the same reason. A measure of roughly 60 to 80 characters keeps the eye's return sweep short, and adequate contrast reduces the effort of decoding each line.
What it does not mean
Distraction-free is not featureless. Tools that stay out of the reading column — a summary opened on request, a highlight, an audio track, a definition — support attention rather than competing with it.
Common questions
Does distraction-free reading help with ADHD?
Many readers report that it does, because fewer competing signals means fewer opportunities to lose the thread. It is a support, not a treatment.
Is dark mode part of distraction-free reading?
It is one of the controls a reader should have. What matters is that contrast, size, and width are chosen by the reader rather than fixed by the page.