How to get relative line numbers on wrapped lines in Obsidian
Obsidian's own line numbers give a wrapped paragraph one number, and its Settings help page lists no relative numbers, as of October 2026.
How to show bold word starts in Obsidian
As of October 2026, Obsidian makes text bold when you wrap it in two asterisks, also around chosen letters. Fixation Reader instead marks supported word starts in Reading view without inserting Markdown markers. Try its strength and minimum length controls on a familiar paragraph, then toggle the display to compare.
Background
You may want selected word starts to stand out in a long note. Manual emphasis becomes part of your text; display-only emphasis can be toggled without rewriting it. Neither method here establishes a reading speed or comprehension benefit.
2 ways to do it
Mark selected letters in Markdown
Obsidian supports bold Markdown with two asterisks on each side of the text. Put those markers around a chosen word prefix. This gives you manual control over which letters receive emphasis.
- limits
- You edit the source and maintain the marks yourself. The formatting stays in the note when you turn off community plugins.
- source
- Obsidian bold formatting
Fixation Reader from this site
The free Reading view effect computes word starts from strength and minimum word length. Latin, Cyrillic and Greek words get emphasis; unsupported scripts stay unchanged. Code, math and existing bold text keep their appearance.
Use the toggle command to compare the display, or set the Boolean property
fixation: falseto keep a note plain. Pro adds Live Preview, folder and exact-tag exclusions, and custom style.- limits
- Words split across separate rendered text nodes can get separate starts. PDF, canvas and custom rendered embeds are outside the intended scope.
Open larger MIT · no telemetry · core features free
Compare the effect on a familiar paragraph
Install Fixation Reader from Community plugins and enable it.
Open a Markdown note in Reading view.
Read a familiar paragraph with the default strength and minimum word length.
Run Turn fixation on or off and compare the display.
Adjust the two controls in settings if you prefer another amount of emphasis.
Common questions
How can I try the display without committing to source edits?
Use the Reading view effect and its toggle command. The display processor adds marks to rendered text rather than writing note content. Adding a note property is a source change you make yourself.
Why is a short word still plain?
The default minimum is three letters. Words below that length keep their normal appearance. Lower the minimum if you want supported shorter words included.
Can a tag exclusion match its child tags?
The Pro tag rule uses exact names while ignoring case. A rule for skip doesn't match skip/child. Folder exclusions do include subfolders.
Will the effect appear throughout a long note while I edit?
Live Preview marks words only where the Markdown parser has reached the visible text. Text beyond that point stays plain until a later editor update can process it.
Sources
- Obsidian bold formattingobsidian.md
- Fixation Reader source and READMEgithub.com
You can now show bold word starts.
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The plugin in this guide
Fixation Reader
Emphasize word starts without changing note text.