How to use Learning Tools in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word includes learning

tools to improve your reading skills,

and here are the steps to get

started.

To get started with the Learning Tools available in Word, use the following steps:

1. Open Word

2. Click the View tab

3. Click the Learning

Tools (or Immersive

Reader) button

Once you open Learning Tools/Immersive Reader, a new tab will appear, with

various features to help with reading fluency and comprehension, including

"Color Width," "Page Color," "Text Spacing," and "Syllables," and "Read Aloud."

Column Width

Using the Column Width option, you can control the width of the text lines which

can affect readability as a result of how our eyes see content. (Usually, you don't

want to read more than 10 to 15 words per line of text. Otherwise, reading text

can quickly become tiring.)

Options available, include:

• Very Narrow

• Narrow

• Moderate

• Wide

Page Color

The Page Color options allow you to change the background color that best suits

your eyes, which can help reduce eye strain while reading content.

Options available, include:

• None

• Sepia

• Inverse

Text spacing

The Text spacing option

allows to add wider spacing

between characters and

words to improve reading

fluency.

Syllables

Using the Syllables option, you

can divide words into syllables

to help you to better your

reading and spelling skills as

well as to improve word

pronunciation.

Read Aloud

Using the Read Aloud option brings up a set of media controls that you can use to

hear the text in the document aloud.

To hear text aloud, select the

text, and click

the Play button in the top-right

corner.

You can also use

the Previous and Next button

to go back to the previous or

next paragraph that you

selected.

Click the speaker button allows

you to control the reading

speed and the voice selection.

How to use Learning Tools in Word Online

If you use the online version of Microsoft Word, you can also use the tools to

improve comprehension and fluency using these steps:

1. Open Word Online.

2. Click the View tab.

3. Click the Immersive Reader button.

Once in the "Immersive Reader" experience, a full-screen view will open with

various learning tools, including "Text Preferences," "Grammar Options,"

"Reading Preferences," and read aloud.

Text Preferences

Clicking the Text Preferences option

in the top-right allows you to

change several options to help with

reading fluency, including the ability

to change the font size and family.

In addition, you can add wider

spacing between letters and words,

and you can even choose from 21

different themes to change the

background color, which can help to

make it easier to see the letters and

reduce eye strain while reading.

Grammar Options

The Grammar Options, similar to the Learning Tools for Microsoft Edge, includes

features to help with reading comprehension.

Turning on the Syllables toggle switch allows

you to break words into syllables.

Using the Parts of speech option, you can

highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, and

adverbs in the Word document.

As you start highlighting parts of the speech,

you can use the drop-down menu to select

different colors to highlight the words.

In addition, it's also possible to turn on

the Show labels toggle switch to display a

label above the part of the speech that you're highlighting.

Reading Preferences

Clicking the Reading Preferences button allows you to access a few additional

features. For example, the Line focus option helps you to focus on the document

you're reading by highlighting one, three, or five lines of text at a time while

dimming the rest of the document.

If you enable this feature, you'll need to use the controls that appear on the right

side to move up and down within the document.

Finally, there's also an option to enable the built-

in Picture Dictionary. When you enable this

feature, you can click a word to see its definition

appear as an image. If an image definition is not

available, you can still click the speaker button

to hear the pronunciation.

Read Aloud

At the bottom of the Word document,

you'll also find the Play button, which you

can click to use the narrator to hear the

entire document or selection aloud.

If you want to change the voice settings,

you can click the speaker button next to

the Play button to access the menu, and

change the voice speed and voice

selection.

This guide focuses on Microsoft Word, but the Learning Tools are also available

for OneNote desktop and OneNote Online, Outlook desktop, Office Lens,

and Microsoft Edge for Windows 10.