Do you hear a voice in your head when you read? Or is it complete silence?

I keep meaning to read more blog posts and, since I’ve just finished my exams for the semester, I now have a whole bunch of free time so I decided to do a bit of scrolling in my WordPress Reader.

The first post that grabbed my interest was I Didn’t Know I Was Reading Wrong by Never Not Reading. She explained that some people (like me) hear a voice in their head when they read, but in order to read faster there should be no voice at all. I was immediately intrigued and became self-aware of my own little voice that was reading the blog post out-loud in my head.

Subvocalisation

Hearing your inner voice when reading to writing is known as ‘subvocalisation’* and I have been making use of this ability for as long as I can remember. When I write it is the most prominent, as I vocalise each word as I write it. It varies a lot more when I’m reading.

*in the original blog post it is referred to as ‘audiation’, which, as per my research, is a musical term and is when you read sheet music and are able to hear the notes in your head.

Usually, when I am reading a book that I love I will subvocalise but at a much faster pace than what I could read aloud. When I’m reading something that I dislike (say, university reading or something really boring) I will struggle to get myself to subvocalise. It sounds more like a jumble of letters or a low humming/buzzing noise. Naturally, I don’t retain a lot of information this way, even though I’m reading all the words – it’s all a blur.

The post I initially read also said that it was ‘wrong’ to hear a voice when you read, but I believe that is entirely subjective. We all think differently, so it makes sense that we read differently too.

Some people may not need to utilise subvocalisation at all and still remember everything they read. The rest of us need that little voice to make sure we’re concentrating, and I for one LOVE that little voice. It makes the experience of reading so much more enjoyable.

Aphantasia vs Phantasia

To add to the nirvana, I also see mental images when I read (most of the time). It doesn’t always happen and it used to be a more frequent occurrence when I was younger, but the more I read the more I experience my own personal movie theatre in my mind’s eye.**

** strangely there is only a term for the opposite of this ability: mind blindness or not being able to ‘see’ images in the mind is referred to as ‘aphantasia’

I believe this ability also extends into dreams and people who are capable of creating visual memories, often have more vivid dreams. I’m definitely one of the people who have epic and crazy dream adventures (when I can remember them). Although, dreams are a whole other topic that I’d like to do some more research about, so stay tuned!

When I’m reading a particularly great story, eventually it feels as if I stop seeing the words on the page entirely; and I become fully immersed in the ‘phantasia’ that has been running through my mind. It is similar to the ‘flow’ state I reach when I am absorbed by a task – it becomes the only thing that exists for that moment in time.

It is an amazing experience but I have noticed that it does not happen all the time. (Perhaps it is like Lucid Dreaming and for me, that ability is also dependant on my overall mood and state of mind). In my opinion, this is the best kind of reading, but I am really curious about what the rest of the world experiences.

Do you subvocalise when you read?

Do you experience audiation when reading sheet music? (Please share your secret if you do!)

Do you have aphantasia? Or do you enjoy a good phantasm every so often?

Please let me know, I’d love to have a conversation about how different people experience reading!

Until next time,

xoxo

Keep thinking, Inklings!

Find me on the web:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•