

Why do we have to do this? Because subvocalization limits how fast we can really read. They don’t provide you with the same meaning as words like “university.” We have to minimize subvocalization in order to boost our reading speed. Many of the words we see are simply there for grammatical purposes (the, a, an). When you read the words “New York City,” do you even think of it as three words? Most people would equate those three words (New York City) to a city. Words by themselves don’t mean much unless they’re surrounded by other words. Reading isn’t even about words, but rather about extracting ideas, absorbing information, and getting details. If you did, you’d be staring at that number for a while without making progress through the sentence. For a number like that, you see it and know it’s a big one. Or, if you saw the number “3,472,382,977,” you probably wouldn’t subvocalize the words “three billion, four hundred seventy-two million, three hundred eighty-two thousand, nine hundred and seventy-seven.” That’s a mouthful. Here’s another example of this: if you were reading and came across the year “1977,” you probably wouldn’t say in your head “Nineteen Seventy-Seven.” You would be more likely to understand the year by just seeing the number. But you don’t always subvocalize everything you read. If you’re like most readers, you probably subvocalize all or most of the words in your head. You see it and automatically recognize that it’s a stop sign. When you see a stop sign, do you actually subvocalize the word “STOP” in your head? You may have done so right now while reading the words in the sentence, but when you see a stop sign while driving, you’re unlikely to say the word. For example, think about when you’re driving. However, there are situations when you read without saying words in your head.


You don’t need to pronounce them (out loud or in your head) to get that same understanding. When you were younger, it was absolutely necessary to say each and every single word, but now you can extract the meaning of words by simply seeing them. You don’t need to say every word in your head to be able to understand what you are reading. But if you want to start reading faster, you need to minimize this habit. Most people continue reading this way for the rest of their lives. This is how the habit of subvocalization usually originates. Once you were fluent enough, your teacher probably told you to start saying the words in your head. When you were initially taught to read, you were told to read out loud. Are You Hearing Voices in Your Head…While Reading? The addition of the read text to our short-term memory reduces our cognitive burden and helps us remain relatively stress-free. This is used to comprehend what we are reading and store the read words in our short-term memory. It helps our mind access the meanings of the words that are often associated with how they sound. It is something that happens to everyone. This happens when we are trying to associate the sounds of the words with the actual words while reading. Subvocalization is “saying” the words you are reading as you read them. What subvocalization is and why it happens Minimizing subvocalization will help you boost your reading speed, and it will also help you improve your comprehension. In this article, we will discuss how you can minimize subvocalization – not eliminate it. However, study after study shows that eliminating this habit completely is not possible. Many speed-reading programs tend to exaggerate and will falsely claim that the key to speed reading is to eliminate the habit of subvocalization. It involves saying words in your head while reading, and it’s one of the main reasons people read slowly and have trouble improving their reading speed. Subvocalization (also known as auditory reassurance) is a widespread habit among readers. Speed Reading Tips: 9 Ways to Minimize Subvocalization
