Alignment. The position of text in a document or on a screen, whether in the center, to the left, or to the right, is equally crucial and may have a significant influence on readability. In general, the strongest alignment for text is left-aligned. Left alignment is effective because it corresponds to how you read—from left to right. And since most people read from left to right, this type of alignment will help them understand the content better. The weakest alignment is right alignment. This type of alignment serves only to divide words into equal-sized segments. It has no other purpose than to make reading text easier by dividing it into sections. However, since people read from left to right, this type of alignment will confuse readers who expect to find information across the entire page. In general, text that is aligned to the left of its container looks best. If there is not enough space to the left of the text, then the end result is confusing. Readers do not know where one word ends and another begins. This type of alignment is strongest for short pieces of text such as headlines or subheads. Text that is aligned to the right of its container looks worst. If there is not enough room to the right of the text, then the end result is also confusing. Readers do not know where one word stops and another starts. This type of alignment is strongest for long passages of text such as essays or reports.