Literate

Able to read and write with useful understanding.

Reach for it when describing foundational written-language ability without overstating education

Every literate resident could complete the form without an intermediary.

• everyday

  able to read and write

  plain wording will be clearest for a broad audience

  not when The phrase is longer and does not capture degrees of functional literacy.

• professional

  educated

  broader formal learning is genuinely established

  not when Literacy alone provides no evidence of broader formal education.

• formal

  proficient

  strong practical reading and writing performance is supported

  not when Proficient claims a higher level than merely literate.

• literary

  lettered

  historical or elevated prose intentionally evokes learning

  not when Lettered suggests scholarship and sounds dated.

Knowledgeable enough in a field to understand and use its basic ideas.

Reach for it when describing practical informed competence in a named area

A media-literate reader checks the original source before sharing a claim.

• playful

  savvy

  informal praise for shrewd practical understanding fits

  not when Savvy suggests street sense; a formal assessment needs a more precise term.

• everyday

  knowledgeable

  reliable information in the subject is the main point

  not when Knowledgeable may be theoretical and not include use of tools.

• professional

  competent

  the person can apply the field's basics safely

  not when Competent is stronger when literacy only means informed understanding.

• formal

  conversant

  familiarity allows informed discussion

  not when Conversant does not prove practical skill.

• illiterate
• uninformed
• unskilled

• fully literate

  The program aims for every graduate to be fully literate.

• digitally literate

  Digitally literate volunteers helped neighbors secure their accounts.

• scientifically literate

  A scientifically literate public can ask sharper questions about risk.