What are strategies for tackling unfamiliar words when reading?

Read with a dictionary near by and look up words you don’t understand.

A huge percentage of words can be figured out my looking at the root of the word – the many sound characters, and making guesses from there.

I look it up in a physical or online dictionary. If I read it on my phone I highlight it and do a lookup.

A dictionary is always readily available.

I usually read with my Kindle so I just click on the word and I get a definition.

If a dictionary isn’t readily available, you can use context clues to help you derive the meaning of the word. For pronunciation, I’m a fan of sounding out the word. Keep in mind that at least in English, that technique won’t work on every word to get the correct pronunciation.

I used to read with one hand on my book and the other hand on a small paperback dictionary.

Make a guess using Latin roots and context before looking up. Put a little dot next to the word if you’re incorrect.

If you find yourself looking up a word that already has a dot next to it, take more care to take it in. Practice using it.

Or…if you’re not neurotic, maybe one of those word a day apps would help. :P

My 12yo doesn’t like breaking up her reading with looking up words. So I’ve gotten her to just read with a small blank bookmark. Where she writes the word down to look up later.