can read
Understands written words
Can read describes the ability to interpret written language.
At its most basic, it distinguishes literacy from illiteracy: She's only four but she can read already.
The phrase often implies comprehension at a particular level: He can read Spanish but can't speak it.
Beyond text, can read extends to interpreting other systems—musical notation, body language, situations: She can read a room better than anyone I know.
- phonicsSound-based reading instruction
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- audiobooksNarrated literary recordings
- decodingExtracting meaning from symbols
- memoryMind's retention capacity
fluency · reasoning · closed captions · critical thinking · interpretation · comprehension · between the lines · inference · signs · road signs · fine print · magnifiers · vocabulary · lips · visualization · word recognition · spelling · semantic processing
- reading levelsliterate, illiterate, proficient
can readilliterate
Cannot read or write
can't read · nonliterate · preliterate · unlettered · semiliterate
can, read, cans, canned, canning, reads, reader, readers, reading