Cracking the Code of Unknown Words

You won’t always know every word in a passage, but you can often figure out the meaning by looking at the words and sentences around it.

Strategies for Context Clues

• Look for definitions or explanations nearby: Sometimes the author tells you what a word means.
• Check examples: If a word is used in a list, the other items can help you guess.
• Notice contrast words: Words like "however" or "but" may signal an opposite meaning.

Practice Tip

When you see a tricky word, reread the sentence and the ones before and after it to gather clues.