Rethinking dyslexia
6 Minute English
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dyslexia is a condition which makes it difficult for people to read, write and spell. But, can the ability to process information differently actually be an advantage? And why do dyslexics make excellent spies? Phil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. Are you scared to speak in English? Do you forget your words |
| 0:09.7 | when you try to have a conversation? Or maybe you feel like your speaking isn't getting better, |
| 0:15.6 | even though you practice a lot. Our new series, beating speaking anxiety, is all about the common fears we have when |
| 0:22.7 | speaking a foreign language. You'll hear from real learners and experts about what causes these |
| 0:28.0 | fears and discover tips and activities to improve your speaking. Listen to the podcast in our |
| 0:33.6 | Learning English Conversations podcast feed or find videos on our website, BBClearningEnglish.com. |
| 0:42.0 | Six Minute English from BBClearningEnglish.com |
| 0:46.9 | Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English. |
| 0:53.7 | I'm Phil. And I'm Pippa. Are you a big reader, Phil? |
| 0:58.6 | Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I go a while without reading anything. What about you? |
| 1:04.0 | Well, I really love to read. I read on the train to work all the time. Oh, well, that is a great way to get some reading in, I guess. |
| 1:10.4 | Yes, and reading, of course, is a life skill, an essential skill which is useful or important |
| 1:16.3 | in everyone's life. |
| 1:17.9 | But reading can be a struggle for people with dyslexia, a learning difficulty making it |
| 1:23.3 | hard for people to read, write or spell. |
| 1:26.7 | It's thought that around one in 10 people in the UK are |
| 1:30.4 | dyslexic and many dyslexic children struggle at school where the focus is on reading and writing. |
| 1:37.0 | But in this episode, we'll be hearing how dyslexics have other skills which allow them to |
| 1:41.8 | excel in the workplace. As usual, we'll be learning some useful |
| 1:45.8 | new words and phrases. And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary for this episode on our website, |
| 1:52.4 | BBC learning English.com. But first, I have a question for you, Phil. Studies have shown that people |
| 1:59.3 | with dyslexia have enhanced abilities in certain |
... |
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