Course Catalog / BMU 030 / Lesson 2 of 5
BMU 030
Lesson 2: Hard words, easy tricks
Quick review
1. What are the four questions?
See the answer
Who, what, by when, and next step.
2. What do you do if a letter looks odd?
See the answer
Call the sender at a number you trust.
Why this matters
Official mail uses words most people do not say out loud. Words like remit, accrue, or verify. Everyone meets words they do not know.
In this lesson you will learn three tricks: use the words around it, use your phone, and listen to it.
Start with what you already do
You already guess words from what is around them. If someone says, Grab your coat, it is cold, you know what coat means.
Common belief: Looking up words means I am a bad reader.
What is actually true: Strong readers look up words too. Your phone makes it fast.
In this lesson you will
- Guess a word's meaning from the words around it
- Look up a word with your phone
- Have your phone read text out loud
Key words
- context
- The words and sentences around a word.
- define
- To tell what a word means.
- read aloud
- A phone tool that reads words on the screen out loud.
Trick 1: Use the words around it
Read the whole sentence. Then read the one before and after. Ask, what word would make sense here?
| Sentence | Clue and meaning |
|---|---|
| Please remit payment to the address below. | Send. You send a payment to an address. |
| Interest will accrue each month. | Add up. Interest grows each month. |
| We need to verify your address. | Check. They want to check it is right. |
Trick 2: Use your phone
Apple says you can take a photo of a letter with an iPhone. Open the photo, touch and hold a word, then tap Look Up. For one word, a dictionary shows up.
On Android, you can search the word, or point the Google Camera at the page and use Select to Speak. Google says it can read text from the camera out loud.
Trick 3: Listen to it
Hearing words can help them make sense. On an iPhone, Speak Selection can read Live Text out loud. On Android, select text and tap Read aloud. Google says you do not need to turn on Select to Speak for that. You can also read the hard part out loud to yourself, slowly.
To make text bigger or set up read aloud, see BMU 001 Lesson 4: Make the screen work for you.
Keep a list of new words and what they mean. You will see many of them again.
Text version of this figure
Hard words, easy tricks. Three tricks to try.
- Step 1, Words around it: What would make sense here?
- Step 2, Look it up: Photo, touch and hold, Look Up.
- Step 3, Listen: Read aloud or Select to Speak.
- Write it down: Keep a list of new words.
- Read on: Most letters use the same words again.
Source: Apple Support; Android Accessibility Help (Oct 29, 2026).
Worked example: Lin's lease page
Lin reads a lease page. It says: The tenant shall remit rent on or before the first of each month.
- She reads the next line: Rent paid after the 5th has a late fee.
- From that, remit must mean pay or send.
- She checks with Look Up on her phone. Remit means send money.
- She adds remit to her word list.
Lin is a made up example.
Practice: Figure out the word
Use the words around the bold word to guess its meaning. Then check a dictionary.
- Your benefits will be suspended if we do not get the form.
- Please retain this notice for your records.
- Your balance is delinquent. Please pay now.
Check your practice: feedback
- Stopped for a while. The form will start them again.
- Keep. For your records is the clue.
- Late, or past due. Please pay now is the clue.
Common mistakes
- Stopping at the first hard word. Read the whole sentence first.
- Guessing and never checking. Check key words with your phone.
- Sending a photo of private mail to strangers to ask what it means. Use your own phone tools, or a trusted helper.
Try it: Try all three tricks
Pick your scenario:
- I have an iPhone
- I have an Android phone
- I use a computer
- Find one hard word in a letter or the samples.
- Guess it from the words around it.
- Look it up on your phone.
- Have your phone read the sentence out loud.
- Start your word list.
Do it by: this week
Reflect
Which trick felt easiest for you?
Check your understanding
1. The tenant must remit rent by the 1st. Late payments have a fee. What does remit most likely mean?
- Send or pay
- Sign
- Get back as a refund
See the answer and feedback
A is correct. Yes. The words around it are about paying rent.
B: The clue is rent and late payments. Remit means send or pay. Review Trick 1.
C: The clue is that late payments have a fee. Remit means send or pay. Review Trick 1.
2. On Android, which feature reads selected text out loud?
- Live Caption
- Select to Speak
- Magnification
See the answer and feedback
B is correct. Yes. Google says Select to Speak can read text out loud.
A: Live Caption makes captions for sound. Select to Speak reads text out loud. Review Trick 3.
C: Magnification makes text bigger but does not read it. Use Select to Speak. Review Trick 3.
3. Why read a hard part out loud?
- It is always faster than reading silently
- It means you can skip the hard words
- Hearing it can help
See the answer and feedback
C is correct. Yes. Hearing words can help them make sense.
A: It is often slower. The point is that hearing it can help. Review Trick 3.
B: You still read every word. Hearing it can help you understand. Review Trick 3.
Takeaway: new words
- Read the words around it
- Guess, then check a dictionary
- Write the plain word above it
- Ask if a word could cost you money or a deadline
Recap
- Use the words around a hard word.
- Look it up on your phone.
- Listen with read aloud tools.
- Keep a word list.
You now have: three tricks tried and a word list started.
Next up
Next you will skim first, then read close. Go to Lesson 3: Skim first, then read close.
Sources
- Apple Support: Copy and translate text from photos on your iPhone or iPad (Live Text and Look Up) (current as of Oct 29, 2026)
- Android Accessibility Help: Use Select to Speak (current as of Oct 29, 2026)
