speechreading

[speech-ree-ding]

noun

1. the act or process of determining the intended meaning of a speaker by utilizing all visual clues accompanying speech attempts, as lip movements, facial expressions, and bodily gestures, used especially by people with hearing loss.

Word History and Origins

Origin of speechreading¹

First recorded in 1890–95; speech + read ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Speechreading, signing, speaking, acquiring language are all skills, like playing the piano.

Read more on New York Times

Some use the Tadoma Speechreading Method to perceive speech by touching the lips of another person as they talk.

Read more on Scientific American