How do you deal with unfamiliar words?

[Lenajay585]

Google them, dictionary. If I stumble upon a word that I dont know I try to find the correct pronunciation for it and define and decipher its meaning and than I write it down in my journal t have as a reference.

[Judyd3]

Google.

[Book_Wyrm]

Have to admit, my usual solution is to run and Google the word ... Although sometimes I can figure out roughly what it means from the context.

[point of view]

As for me, when I come across an unfamiliar words I highlight it then look for the meaning and the pronunciation on my dictionary app. I sometimes list it down if I don't have a dictionary beside me while reading. With that, if i came across again with the word on the book i know what it means because it's like i can't understand what it means by the sentence if i have a word i do not understand.

[SqueakyWilliams]

Context clues are a go to. I'm very thankful Kindle has the word wise feature and also the availability of translations. In my current book (Philip K Dick), there's a lot of German or Japanese words and phrases. I'd be lost without some form of search engine!

[Lilapo9]

First I try to understand the context of the word by what the rest of the sentence is saying. I might try to break down to the root of the word to see if I can understand it that way. If that doesn't work and the word bugs me I use my Oxford Dictionary. If the word isn't in there I usually end up at dictionary.com.

[Acwoolet]

Most of the time I do what you do and figure out the meaning of the word through the context of the sentence. If it's something that really throws me off, I'll Google it or use the thesaurus on my computer.

[Nesara]

What I do is pretty simple. If I am reading a paperback then I use the online dictionary in my mobile. In case I am reading e-book in my laptop or tablet then I just ask Google! Love Google, has answers for almost everything. But it becomes complicated when you are listening to a hear book, which is usually what I do when I am driving or travelling. Then I just try to remember the word and check on it later. Or sometimes I just forget it or try to figure out the meaning from its context! Wonder if there is anything one can do about. Hmmmm...

[Jennifer_Caffelle]

I use a combination of context clues and dictionarys! Usually I can gather what a word means based on how it is used and the sentence it is being used in, but I always want to verify with a dictionary before using it myself. Nothing worse than using a word out loud that you've only read before, and finding out you're horribly wrong!

[Angandmae]

I deal with them in a couple of ways. I also tend to skip over them as long as the story makes sense. Other times I stop reading, get out a sticky note and pen and look it up. Then I write it down so I can look at it and learn the meaning. It helps me understand it better depending on the book and word.

[Buchacha21]

When I come across a word I don't know, I also tend to look at context first. Then I try and break it down and see if I recognize the root word. If I can't make an educated guess, I sometimes just keep reading anyway, but if the word is important to the story or if I'm just curious, I will look it up, usually just by doing a quick google search on my phone or computer. If I am reading on my Kindle, then I just select the word and the built in dictionary usually gives a good definition. There have been words that don't show up in that dictionary though...

I enjoy learning new words, but I find I have to see them or hear them several times before I will remember them. And sometimes I realize that I have seen and heard a word several times but, if asked, I wouldn't be able to define it. I like looking up these words because I tend to remember them better since I am already familiar with them.

[Mbarnes]

I like to think my vocabulary is pretty decent. When I find a word that I do not know the meaning of, I use context clues and if I still do not know it, I go to my trusty dictionary. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated but that is no way to handle it. You just cannot go wrong with having a dictionary handy.

[Randomgold]

Since I do a lot of my reading on my phone's kindle app, I have a convenient access to Google. It's great for looking up unfamiliar words. It also helps with cultural or mythological references I don't know. It's a handy thing in times like that.

[mogon2990]

Most often, I will just use context clues to try to understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Every now and then I will search it on Google (which, when I do, I find very helpful!).
When I was growing up I read many words that I never heard pronounced. Years later when they would come up in conversation..."Oh, it's pronounced like that?!"
So, I also appreciate the pronunciation resources available on the internet!

[Shermac21]

I'll start with context clues or skip them if I can still get the meaning from the sentence. If not I'll Google or use the dictionary on my kindle.