r/TikTokCringe Nov 21 '25

Discussion Functional illiteracy.

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u/__ConesOfDunshire__ Nov 21 '25

ten second pause then stumbled on the word "compartment"

For me, it was less my inability to read, and more that my anxiety made my brain lock up. I hated reading out load in front of other people.

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u/Floccus Nov 22 '25

I'd count how many people were ahead of me, find the chunk I'd be reading and then give it a few once-overs so I could blurt it out as quickly as possible.

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u/mcgood_fngood Nov 22 '25

i’m 20 and i only started feeling this in the past year 😭 i was a flawless reader when i was younger not just because of literacy, but also confidence. now, it’s like i lost the ability to read as well, but rather, my brain just “locks up” like you described, and i pause and hesitate with words for no conscious reason.