I’m a slow reader. Always have been. When I read, I say every word aloud in my mind. I’ve been reading online that this “subvocalization” actually slows reading WAY down and doesn’t help with reading comprehension (once you know how to read). Is this true, and if so, how can I read without subvocalization? I’d like to become a better reader that can read books in weeks, not months. Thanks for any help!
That’s weird, I couldn’t imagine another way of reading. How is it even possible to not subvocalize? People just somehow process words without hearing them in their head? I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like. For me, it’s like trying to picture what “nothing” looks like. I’m kinda blown away by this lol.
I love my inner monologue as it changes to the voices of the characters I’m imagining. It doesn’t slow me down at all and actually enhances the experience.
I don’t think trying to get rid of subvocalization (if it is even possible) will help you. I think you just need more practice with your comprehension skills, which should come with time.
I don’t believe “faster reader= better reader”, anyway.
Unless you’re cramming for a test or something, reading should be about enjoyment. Read at your own pace and don’t worry about it! I believe it’s like anything else, the more you do it the better you’ll get. If you keep reading regularly, you’ll naturally become faster.
I finally realized that when I’m reading, it plays out in my head like a movie.
I taught myself how to speed read without an inner voice. I didn’t think it was possible until I tried. I shut the voice up, quickly glide over the words, and somehow remember what it said. It feels completely different than focusing on the words.
It sounds like BS pseudoscience until you figure it out yourself.
My reading comprehension is higher with the voice, but without is much faster. It’s a tradeoff, but I can always go back and reread slower. The biggest difference is that I don’t enjoy speed reading. It’s for absorbing the gist of information quickly, like a news article, junk email, or academic text. I would never read a novel that way because it doesn’t paint a picture in my head.
Yeah, how else do you read if you don’t speak the words in your mind?? I’m confused.
The same way you read words without sounding out each letter individually, reading quickly is more like looking at clusters of words and getting the meaning without saying each word in order