Screen readers
A screen reader reads the characters it finds. When it meets a styled letter it may read the character's full name, such as mathematical bold capital H, or skip it, so a short word can turn into a long, confusing sentence. What happens depends on the reader and its settings.
Reading difficulty
Script, gothic and heavily decorated styles are harder to read for many people, including those with low vision or dyslexia. Wide spacing and small letters add to the effort.
A simple rule
- Use styled text for a word or a short heading, not a paragraph.
- Keep anything important in plain text: names, dates, prices, instructions and links.
- Do not put styled text into alt text, email subjects or labels that tools read aloud.
- If the place has real bold, italic or heading controls, use those.
Search and tools
Search engines, translation tools and spell check treat styled letters as different characters from ordinary ones. That is another reason to keep what matters in plain letters.