Reading is the act of making meaning from written symbols. It looks passive. It is not. The brain decodes letters, retrieves word meanings, links them to grammar, and builds a model of what the text says. All of this happens in milliseconds, mostly below awareness.

Skilled readers do not read every word with equal care. They skim, scan, and slow down when something matters. They predict what comes next and revise when they are wrong. They connect new information to what they already know. These strategies are learned, not innate.

Reading develops in stages. Children first learn to decode. Later they read to learn. Many adults never make the second shift fully. They can read a menu but struggle with a contract or a scientific article. Digital reading adds new challenges: skimming headlines, following links, and resisting distraction.

Key skills

• Decoding and fluency
• Vocabulary knowledge
• Comprehension strategies
• Critical evaluation
• Digital reading