Grammar girl here, I'm Mignon Fogarty and this week I have a quick and dirty tip about

the difference between reading aloud and reading out loud.

A meaty middle about what editors mean when they say they're looking for fiction with

a strong voice.

And finally some featured listeners.

Let's get to the tip.

To read out loud and to read aloud mean the same thing, but in the old days allowed

was the only cultured option.

In the early 1900s usage guide writers looked down their noses at out loud and called it

colloquial.

Today out loud and allowed are both fine, although allowed still feels more high brow and formal.

Which word people use seems to vary depending on the context and the exact phrase.

For example in published books that Google has scanned, allowed is more common.

But in Reddit comments, out loud is more common, which doesn't surprise me since published

books are much more formal documents than Reddit comments.

But even in published books in some phrases out loud is more common.

For example, I said that out loud is more common than I said that aloud.

It seems like when people are expressing the feeling I can't believe I said that, they

stick without loud.

The quick and dirty tip is that you can use either allowed or out loud, whichever sounds

more natural to you.

But if you want to be a stickler, allowed is probably better for solemn or formal occasions,

...