[imzadi]

I've noticed something similar. I can listen to audiobooks and follow/absorb what is going on without really paying attention, as long as I am not trying to read something. I can't follow an audiobook and read at the same time. This is probably because I subvocalize when I read. I have taken speed reading courses but I don't enjoy reading that way. I like feeling every word as I read.

[inigyou]

I read by imagining a voice saying the words. Is that not how everyone reads?

[rtkwe]

No, I can do both but absorb much better when I internal monologue it but can read much faster when I don't. Some people don't internal monologue it at all.

If you're in the market for another "wait I thought everyone did it X way?!" surprise look up aphantasia where some percentage of people can't mentally "picture" items and there's a whole spectrum of vividness. I've yet to find someone not surprised by this no matter where they are on the spectrum.

[yetihehe]

I have two modes of reading - when I read a story to enjoy, I read it to myself with inner voice saying the words (like internal audiobook). When I read to gather information quickly, I try to just absorb as much keywords as possible by quickly glancing at text and trying to directly absorb the text, rereading where needed.

[HarHarVeryFunny]

I think there are at least two ways of reading - maybe more.

When I'm normally reading it seems I'm basically going through the motions of reading it aloud to myself, but then suppressing the final verbalization. Sometimes I find myself relaxing in front of the computer with the middle finger of my left hand resting on my lower lip/teeth (I know - sounds odd!), and I can feel some micro-movement in my lips as if they want to move according to what I'm reading.

My other form of reading is a poorly trained version of speed reading where I'm rapidly scanning the page trying to at least get the gist of it, which seems to be more of a purely visual process, recognizing word forms but not getting as far as trying to pronounce them internally (which seems to lead to better understanding, perhaps by slowing down/serializing the process to be more similar to hearing speech).

[JoshTriplett]

No, and this is one of the first things that tends to come up in any guides on how to read more quickly: reading without internally vocalizing, in order to not limit reading to the speed of vocalizing.

Some people can switch back and forth between both readily, and use them for different purposes. Some people read only in one or the other mode.

[1bpp]

Personally it's the same way you look at a thing and get a mental sense of "this is that thing" without having to scan every detail right away, you look at a chunk of a sentence or words and get the sense of its meaning, and you can vocalize that in your head if you want to

[dfgsdfgfgd]

Not at all. I can do it, but I have to actively produce it. Don't see much use for it except when reading quality fiction. It's dog slow IME. You are a fast reader?

You might wonder how I read and it's a bit like how you can watch an intersection and know what to do without verbalizing "there is a bike", "there is a car". You just get the situation and understand it. Sentences are like that as well.

[laxpri]

I also want to know , how people read . I read silently without talking. I also heard that some people read by speaking it loudly( which doesnot help a lot for me)

so can we conclude that the people reading loudly visualizing the words , and the people speak silently , internal-vocalizing the words .

[l1ng0]

This happens to me sometimes when I'm tired and it ruins my enjoyment of the book. Normally I go straight from page to imagination without much conscious awareness of each word.

[throw2ih020]

I have two reading modes: A narrative reading mode where a voice reads the text, and a speed reading mode where my eyes scan down the page and recognize the characters, words and phrases without any voice.

[margalabargala]

It is not.

[keeganpoppen]

i can't talk and listen at the same time to save my life, but as an intern at the Idaho State Historical Society a million years ago i did learn how to transcribe in roughly real time typing and listening. funny how those boundaries work-- feels like a "choose two of these three things" sort of... thing. i also don't find that i have the sort of internal narrative/voice in my head in the way that others do, so i would have to imagine that plays a role on some level. not that basically anyone with sufficient time can't learn to transcribe in near real-time-- it's not at all some sort of profound skill-- i was just struck by how quickly i could pick that up compared to other things.

[eszed]

> I like feeling every word as I read.

I know what you mean. I don't typically sub-vocalize, but when I run across a particularly beautiful bit of prose I slow down in order to hear it in my head. If I'm on my own I might read it aloud.