Should You Look Up Every Unknown Spanish Word?
No, you should not look up every unknown Spanish word while reading. Look up words that repeat, block meaning, or seem useful. Let other words wait.
Stopping too often turns reading into dictionary work.
Why selective lookup works better
Comfortable reading usually requires high known-word coverage (Nation 2006; Schmitt et al. 2017). If a text has too many unknown words, looking up everything will not fix the level problem.
It will just slow you down.
Look up immediately when
- the word blocks the sentence
- the word repeats
- the word changes the plot
- the phrase seems reusable
- you keep guessing and failing
Keep reading when
- the main idea is clear
- the word appears once
- the word is decorative
- the sentence still makes sense
- lookup would break the flow
Cognitive load matters. Too many interruptions can make comprehension harder (Sweller et al. 1998).
A better rule
Read first. Mark important unknowns. Check after the paragraph or page.
That gives you both context and flow.
Stop studying Spanish. Start reading it.
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