Hyperlexia and Dyslexia: When Reading is Both a Strength and a Struggle
Have you ever felt like reading is your happy place—but also your biggest frustration?
Maybe you taught yourself to read early and fell in love with books—but spelling still makes you sweat. Maybe you devour novels but panic if someone asks you to read out loud. Maybe you love language but dread writing emails because you’re afraid of mixing up words or missing letters.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And no, you’re not imagining it.
It’s absolutely possible to have both hyperlexia and dyslexia—and honestly, it’s more common than you’d think. But because these two traits seem like opposites, they’re often misunderstood—even by educators, therapists, and families.
So let’s walk through what this combination really looks like, how it feels, and most importantly—how you can support it (in yourself or someone you love) without shame, confusion, or burnout.
What Exactly Is Hyperlexia?
Hyperlexia is a term that describes an early and intense interest in letters, words, and reading. Kids (and sometimes adults) with hyperlexia often:
Teach themselves to read before anyone formally teaches them
Memorize books, street signs, or even license plates
Gravitate toward language, patterns, or symbols
Feel soothed by reading the same things over and over
It’s not just “being a good reader”—it’s often a way of making sense of the world. For many people, reading becomes a form of emotional regulation, comfort, and structure.
And What About Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning difference that impacts how someone processes written language. It can affect spelling, writing, and reading fluency—not intelligence.
People with dyslexia may:
Struggle to sound out unfamiliar words
Mix up letters or directions (like b/d or left/right)
Read more slowly or skip words when tired
Have strong ideas but trouble putting them into written form
It can be frustrating—especially when others assume that difficulty with reading or writing equals laziness or lack of effort (spoiler: it doesn’t).
Wait... You Can Have Both?
Yep. And here’s how it might look:
Someone with hyperlexia and dyslexia might:
Learn to read early by memorizing full words, but struggle with phonics or decoding unfamiliar words
Read advanced material silently but get nervous reading aloud
Understand complex ideas but struggle to spell common words
Mask their difficulties by using their strong memory or language skills
In short: they might be flying under the radar.
Because if someone reads quickly or loves books, it’s easy to assume everything’s fine. But under the surface, there may be real challenges—and real exhaustion from trying to keep up.
What It Feels Like
Let’s be honest—it can feel really confusing.
You might:
Feel like others expect you to be “the smart one” when you’re secretly struggling
Avoid writing tasks, even though you have great ideas
Dread spelling tests, public reading, or editing emails
Wonder why something you love (reading!) is also so hard sometimes
It’s okay to hold both.
You can be someone who loves reading—and still needs support. You can be someone who’s smart—and still makes spelling mistakes. You can be someone who reads early—and still feels stuck in a traditional classroom.
How to Support Hyperlexia and Dyslexia—Together
1. Trust Their Experience (and Yours)
If a child says reading aloud feels scary—even if they’re great at silent reading—believe them. If you need to re-read a paragraph three times to absorb it, that’s valid.
2. Use Tech and Tools Without Shame
Speech-to-text, spellcheck, audiobooks—these aren’t shortcuts. They’re accessibility tools. And they can make a huge difference.
3. Let Reading Be Playful Again
Reading for joy doesn’t have to mean mastering every spelling rule. Let them (or yourself) enjoy books, comics, menus, maps—whatever brings joy.
4. Break Writing into Manageable Steps
Outlines, sentence starters, visual organizers, voice notes—whatever helps the ideas flow. It’s okay if the process looks different.
5. Celebrate Strengths, Not Just Skills
Maybe spelling’s hard—but storytelling is strong. Maybe writing is tough—but memory and pattern recognition are amazing. Let those strengths shine.
Therapy and Support
Having both hyperlexia and dyslexia isn’t contradictory—it’s complex, and deeply human.
It means your relationship with reading and writing is layered. Maybe even messy. But it also means you’re someone who sees the world through a rich lens of language, curiosity, and resilience.
You’re not alone if this is your experience. You’re not “faking it” or broken. You’re a person who reads differently, learns differently, and thinks differently.
And that’s not something to hide. That’s something to honor.
If you’re just starting to explore what this means for you or your child—take your time. There’s no one right way to be a reader. Just the way that works for you.
