RTL-01
The layout mirrors: navigation, back and reading order start on the right
A left-to-right layout with right-to-left text makes people scan the wrong way and look for Back in the wrong corner.
Applies to: Screens in a right-to-left language.
Irreplaceable › Guides › RTL UX design
Checklist · Right-to-left design
RTL UX design: the checklist
Mirroring a layout is the start, not the job. These 10 rules cover what breaks in right-to-left products: layout and icons, mixed-direction text and numbers, forms, type and AI answers. The crit turns them on by default when a screen has right-to-left text.
By Sarit Elisha, founder of Irreplaceable · Updated October 10, 2026
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Layout
2 rules.
RTL-02
Directional icons point the reading direction
A Next arrow pointing right on a right-to-left screen points backwards. Icons with no direction (play, check, clock) stay as they are.
Applies to: Arrows, chevrons, progress bars, sliders and steppers on right-to-left screens.
Text
3 rules.
RTL-03
Mixed text keeps its order
Without correct direction, a brand name, a version number or a final period jumps to the wrong end and the sentence reads scrambled.
Applies to: Right-to-left text that contains Latin words, numbers, emails, links or punctuation.
RTL-04
Numbers and currency read correctly
Digits stay left to right inside right-to-left text; a currency sign on the wrong side or a reversed phone number makes the value wrong or untrustworthy.
Applies to: Prices, amounts, phone and card numbers on right-to-left screens.
RTL-05
Text aligns to the right edge
Right-to-left text aligned left leaves a ragged starting edge and reads as an unfinished translation.
Applies to: Paragraphs, labels and lists in a right-to-left language.
Forms
1 rule.
RTL-06
Fields type in the direction of their content
Name and address fields type right to left; email, URL, phone and code fields type left to right. The wrong direction scrambles what people enter.
Applies to: Inputs on right-to-left screens.
Language
2 rules.
RTL-07
No leftover strings in another language
An English 'Cancel' or error message on a Hebrew screen reads as unfinished, and some people won't understand it.
Applies to: Buttons, labels, errors and empty states on a right-to-left screen.
RTL-08
Dates, times and units use the local format
03/04 means 3 April in Israel and 4 March in the US; the wrong format causes missed appointments and wrong orders.
Applies to: Dates, times and units on right-to-left screens.
Typography
1 rule.
RTL-09
The type is set for the script
Letter-spacing, all-caps styles, tight line height or a font without the script's glyphs breaks Hebrew and Arabic text, and Arabic letters must stay joined.
Applies to: Hebrew, Arabic and Persian text.
AI
1 rule.
RTL-10
AI messages follow the direction of their own text
An English answer forced right to left, or a Hebrew answer forced left to right, is hard to read. In a right-to-left chat the user's bubbles sit on the left.
Applies to: Chats and AI output in a right-to-left product.
All the rules
RTL is one part of a full review.
The UX review checklist has every rule the crit checks, from hierarchy and states to AI behavior.