Buzz
While physical exercise is well-known for its benefits, mental workouts are equally essential. Practicing reverse reading keeps your mind engaged and enhances your reading prowess. Unlike the conventional left-to-right reading pattern in English, challenge yourself by reading from right to left.
Steps to Follow
Switching Directions: Right to Left Reading
Jot down a brief phrase on paper. Starting with shorter, simpler words and gradually progressing to longer phrases is advisable. Aim for two to three words initially.
Reverse the Phrase: Start with the last letter of the last word and finish with the first letter of the first word. Maintain word spacing as usual. Rehearse writing the phrase multiple times to familiarize your brain with the right-to-left motion.
Read the Phrase Aloud: Commence from the rightmost letter and progress towards the left (opposite of your habitual reading direction). Pronounce each letter separately and attempt to decode it as you proceed. Eventually, your brain will recognize word shapes, eliminating the need for letter-by-letter decoding.
Advance to Lengthier Phrases:
Select a random sentence from a book and practice reading it in reverse. If isolating the sentence is challenging, transcribe it onto paper, then rewrite it from right to left. Initially, using your finger to track each word may aid in maintaining your place.
Harnessing Visualization
Mentally Picture a Word: Choose any word, preferably shorter (two to four letters) initially. Envision writing the word mentally, tracing each letter as if on paper.
Mentally Reverse Words: Start with short two-letter words (oh, ah, no, on, etc.) and mentally flip the letters from right to left. As you progress to longer words, consider visualizing each letter individually, starting with the last letter. With practice, flipping entire words will become easier.
Practice Anywhere: Since this is a mental exercise, you can reverse any word you encounter. Utilize idle moments, such as waiting in traffic, standing in line, or sitting in a restaurant, to select words around you and practice reversing them mentally.
Combine Words: For an additional challenge, attempt to reverse entire phrases mentally. Visualizing a single word in reverse is often challenging enough, so exercise patience. Begin by reversing individual words before progressing to full phrases.
Deciphering Mirror Text
Use a Mirror: When deciphering text that appears backward in a mirror, hold it up to the mirror's surface. The reflected text will appear normal, despite being a mirror image. Note that mirror writing reverses individual letters but maintains the left-to-right order of the text.
Read from Left to Right: Just like standard reading, you'll find it easy to read the text in its regular left-to-right order. There's no need to strain your brain to unravel any code; the letters will be in their usual arrangement.
Reverse Writing with a Mirror: If you want to add a touch of mystery to your writing, try using a mirror to create mirror image text. Follow these steps:
- Write your message normally on a piece of paper.
- Have someone hold it up to a mirror.
- Trace the mirror image of your message onto tracing paper.
- The result will be your message, written in reverse mirror image text.
Pointers
- Experiment with reading in a mirror or upside-down. Both exercises help train your brain to reverse letter order. Reading a word through a piece of paper against light serves the same purpose as using a mirror.
- Challenge your friends and family once you've mastered reading words backwards!
- Have fun by writing something backwards and watching others try to decipher it.
