A technique for understanding spoken language through visual clues, such as the position of the jaw, lips, and tongue. Commonly used by people who have ear and hearing problems, speechreading requires considerable training to learn and even then has limited effectiveness alone, because less than half of the common words in spoken English can be interpreted by lip movements alone. However, speechreading can help enormously to supplement a person’s residual hearing. Its value is enhanced when speakers use cued speech, exaggerating their lip movements and using finger signs for particular sounds that are otherwise easily confused, such as “p” and “b.”