reading
noun
Simple meaning
Interpreting written language.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehdingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɛdɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The process of interpreting written language.
The cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
“His main reading was detective stories.”
The process of interpreting a symbol, a sign or a measuring device.
A value indicated by a measuring device.
A particular interpretation or performance
“On that reading it was an insult.”
gouncountable
The act or process of imagining sequences of potential moves and responses without actually placing stones.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The process of interpreting written language.
Used this way, reading is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Cognitivenoun
“His main reading was detective stories.”
Particularnoun
“On that reading it was an insult.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Interpret something that is written or printed.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A person who enjoys reading.
Completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress.
Without much difficulty.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The reading of a passage assigned by the teacher.
A clinic for people with reading disabilities.
Desk or stand with a slanted top used to hold a text at the proper height for a lecturer.
A lamp that provides light for reading.
Written material intended to be read.
A program designed to teach literacy skills.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.