Is Dyslexia More Common in Boys?
The studies we hold give no single answer. Four tested samples in New Zealand and Britain found reading trouble more often in boys (Rutter and colleagues, 2004). Tests of German-speaking children found reading trouble close to even by sex (Moll and colleagues, 2014). In one US group, schools picked out fewer girls than testing did (Shaywitz and colleagues, 1990).
Why is there no single answer?
Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. Struggling to read says nothing about how smart your child is.
The studies we hold give no single answer. It depends on what is counted, how it is counted, and in which language. It also depends on who does the counting.
One school study tested 1,633 German-speaking children in grades 3 and 4 (Moll and colleagues, 2014). In Moll's tests of German-speaking children, reading trouble was close to even between boys and girls. That held at all three of the study's cut-offs. Moll's tests found spelling trouble more common in German-speaking boys than girls. Those are findings about many children. German has a regular spelling system. Moll's paper notes that studies in English usually do not separate reading from spelling.
One twin study asked parents by phone about signs of dyslexia in their twins (Brimo and colleagues, 2021). There were 1,688 twins, all nine years old. The children were not tested. In Brimo's twin study, the parents' answers gave about 1.5 boys for every girl. That is a finding about many children. We could read only Brimo's summary.
One study tested children in four samples (Rutter and colleagues, 2004). The samples came from New Zealand and Britain. In all four, reading trouble was more common in boys than girls. Reading trouble meant the lowest 15 in every 100 reading scores. So the count depends on where that line is drawn. The study used English reading tests. It did not count spelling on its own. Those are findings about many children. We could read only the study's summary.
Another study followed one group of children in Connecticut (Shaywitz and colleagues, 1990). The researchers tested the children in grades 2 and 3. Their tests found no clear difference between boys and girls. The schools also picked out children with reading trouble. The schools picked out far more boys than girls. The authors warned against relying only on schools to find these children. We could read only the study's summary.
Rutter's paper disputes the Connecticut view that school picks explain the boy-girl gap. In our reading, both findings can stand. School counts can make the gap look bigger. A tested gap can still show up in some samples.
The four studies measured different things, so they do not give one ratio.
Common questions from parents
Is dyslexia more common in boys than girls?
The studies we hold give no single answer. Four tested samples in New Zealand and Britain found reading trouble more often in boys (Rutter and colleagues, 2004). There, reading trouble meant the lowest 15 in every 100 reading scores. One school study tested 1,633 German-speaking children in grades 3 and 4 (Moll and colleagues, 2014). In Moll's tests of German-speaking children, reading trouble was close to even between boys and girls. That held at all three of the study's cut-offs. Moll's tests found spelling trouble more common in German-speaking boys than girls. Those are findings about many children. German has a regular spelling system. In one twin study, parents' reports of dyslexia signs gave about 1.5 boys per girl (Brimo and colleagues, 2021). The twins were not tested. The studies measured different things, so they do not give one ratio.
Does the language a child reads in matter?
The studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls. It depends on what is counted, how it is counted, and in which language. One school study tested German-speaking children (Moll and colleagues, 2014). German has a regular spelling system. Moll's paper notes that studies in English usually do not separate reading from spelling. One study of four samples used English reading tests (Rutter and colleagues, 2004). It did not count spelling on its own. The International Dyslexia Association wrote a new definition in 2025. It says the trouble varies with how a language is written. In our view, mixing reading and spelling in one count can change the boy-girl answer.
Are girls with dyslexia missed?
In one US group, schools picked out fewer girls than testing did (Shaywitz and colleagues, 1990). The researchers tested the children in grades 2 and 3. Their tests found no clear difference between boys and girls. The schools picked out far more boys than girls. The authors warned against relying only on schools to find these children. That is one group of children in Connecticut. Four other tested samples in New Zealand and Britain found reading trouble more often in boys (Rutter and colleagues, 2004). Rutter's paper disputes the Connecticut view that school picks explain the boy-girl gap. In our view, look at your child's own reading and spelling, boy or girl.
Does being a boy make my child more likely to have dyslexia?
No study we hold predicts one child's dyslexia from being a boy or a girl. Each figure on this page is about a large group, not one child. In our view, the next step is the same for boys and girls. That step is to work out which job of reading is going wrong. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.