thick to read

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "thick to read" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It seems to be an attempt to describe something that is difficult to read, but the wording is awkward and unclear. Example: "The report was so thick to read that I struggled to understand the main points."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In early 2004 I worked briefly for a tabloid newspaper whose offices rang with its daily use (along with its bedmate, "pikey"), directed not towards the paper's readers, but towards those it was assumed would be too "thick" to read any newspaper at all.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Squinting through thick glasses to read his menu, Mr. Beatty did seem as human as the other imperfect souls twirling pasta in his midst, a regular guy with thinning hair who regrets his third divorce though he is happy in his fourth marriage; who says he does not see his eight children enough; who hasn't quite managed, despite the best of intentions, to stop working.

The New York Times

If it is a very thick book, plan to read 3-9 hours a day.

WikiHow

And there are those with color screens (heavier, thicker, pricier, great to read in low light, tough to read in sunlight).

The New York Times - Tech

A place to read thick novels against a tree on a quad where students throw Frisbees.

The New York Times

"Governors can be faced with big, thick wodges of paper to read so they tend not to read it... then they get starved of information," he says.

The Guardian

She described her son as "very nonstandard" — a bookworm who as a toddler would pretend to read thick medical journals, tracing each line with his finger and babbling seriously to himself.

The New York Times

Then she flipped open her thick blue binder and began to read.

The New York Times

During the last hour I spent with Christopher, in the Critical Care Unit at M. D. Anderson, he struggled to read a thick volume of P. G. Wodehouse letters.

The New Yorker

This time, he stationed himself outside the store at around 9 and tried to read a thick stack of documents by street light.

The New York Times

Surratt is worried that he may stumble in mud so thick that the announcers struggle to read the numbers on the players' jerseys.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "thick to read". Opt for more grammatically correct and commonly understood alternatives such as "difficult to read" or "hard to read".

Common error

Do not use "thick" directly before "to read" to describe reading difficulty. "Thick" typically describes the physical dimensions of an object, not the cognitive challenge of reading. Instead, use adjectives that directly relate to difficulty, such as "challenging" or "complex".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "thick to read" functions as an incorrect adjective phrase attempting to describe the difficulty of reading something. Ludwig AI highlights this as incorrect. The proper way is to use phrases that denote level of complexity and reading comprehension.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "thick to read" might seem like a straightforward way to describe something difficult to read, it is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI identifies it as such. It's best to use clearer and more common alternatives like "difficult to read" or "hard to read". Though sources like The New York Times and The Guardian appear in the search results, it is because the algorithm found the separate words "thick" and "to read" and not necessarily because they use the phrase "thick to read" as an established expression. Therefore, always opt for grammatically sound alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to read

Replaces "thick" with a more direct adjective describing reading difficulty.

hard to read

Similar to "difficult to read", but with a slightly less formal tone.

challenging to read

Emphasizes the level of effort required for reading.

demanding to read

Highlights the intellectual effort needed to comprehend the material.

complex to read

Focuses on the intricate nature of the reading material.

tedious to read

Suggests that reading is boring or monotonous.

heavy to read

Indicates the material is serious or weighty in content.

wearing thick glasses to read

Describes the act of needing thick lenses to be able to read.

squinting to read

Implies needing to strain one's eyes in order to read.

straining to read

Similar to squinting, but can also indicate mental effort.

FAQs

What phrases can I use instead of "thick to read"?

Instead of "thick to read", use phrases like "difficult to read", "hard to read", or "challenging to read" to describe something that is difficult to understand while reading.

Is "thick to read" grammatically correct?

No, "thick to read" is not grammatically correct. "Thick" usually describes a physical dimension, not the difficulty of reading something. A more appropriate phrasing would be "difficult to read".

When is it appropriate to use "thick" in relation to reading?

Use "thick" to describe the physical size of a book or document (e.g., "a thick book") but not the difficulty of understanding the content. For difficulty, use "difficult", "complex", or "dense".

Can I say "dense to read" instead of "thick to read"?

While "dense to read" is better than "thick to read", it's still not ideal. "Dense" describes the complexity of the content. It's best to say "difficult to read" or "hard to read".