The Debate That Shouldn’t Exist

“Does listening to audiobooks count as real reading?”

You’ve heard this one before. Maybe you’ve asked it yourself. Audiobook listeners often feel guilty, like they’re cheating somehow. And readers? They tend to look down on listeners as taking the easy way out.

Here’s what actually bothers me about this debate: it ignores what science has known for years.

Reading and listening are the same thing.

A meta-analysis of 46 studies with nearly 5,000 participants found no real difference between reading and listening comprehension. The effect size was just 0.07. That’s basically noise. Whether words enter through your eyes or your ears, your brain processes them through similar pathways.

“The brain doesn’t care how words enter it. It cares about making meaning from language.” — Daniel Willingham, cognitive psychologist

But here’s where it gets interesting. Reading and listening perform equally when used alone. Something different happens when you combine them.

The Retention Problem Nobody Talks About

Let’s be honest. Most of what we read or listen to? Gone within days.

Studies show a brutal reality:

Time After LearningWhat You Remember
20 minutes58%
1 hour44%
1 day33%
1 week25%
1 month21%

This is Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve. It doesn’t care whether you read War and Peace or listened to it on your commute.

A 2010 study in Applied Cognitive Psychology found that students who listened to a podcast lesson performed 28% worse on comprehension tests a week later. Compared to what? Students who read the same material on paper.

So reading wins?

Not so fast.

The same researchers discovered something crucial: multitasking destroys retention for listeners. When people try to listen while doing other things (driving, exercising, cooking) comprehension falls off a cliff.

Reading forces focus. Listening allows distraction. That’s the only meaningful difference.

Unless you remove the choice entirely.

The Superpower: Bimodal Learning

Reading while listening at the same time creates what researchers call “bimodal input.”

I was skeptical when I first heard about this. Sounds like extra work for marginal gains, right? But the data changed my mind.

The Eye-Tracking Evidence

A 2024 study in Reading Research Quarterly used eye-tracking to measure how people learn vocabulary. What they found surprised me:

Less effort. Better results. That’s rare.

The Numbers From Meta-Analysis

Clinton-Lisell’s 2023 meta-analysis looked at 30 studies with 1,945 participants. The finding:

For context: an effect size of 0.41 is meaningful. It’s the kind of difference you’d actually notice.

Why Does This Work?

It makes sense when you understand dual coding theory. Here’s the simple version:

  1. Your brain processes information through multiple channels
  2. Each channel creates separate memory traces
  3. During recall, each channel can activate the other
  4. Result: stronger memory for stuff coded through both channels

Dr. Brian Mathias at the University of Aberdeen puts it simply: “When students learn through multiple senses, their brains create stronger, more integrated memories.”

The Broader Pattern

The benefits go beyond reading and listening. Research on multimodal learning shows:

That’s massive. Well above the 0.8 threshold for “large” impact.

The principle is clear: more senses engaged = better memory.

How to Actually Do This

The Basic Setup

You need two things:

  1. A physical or digital text
  2. An audiobook or text-to-speech version at the same pace

That’s it.

For Books:

For Articles and Documents:

For Learning Materials:

Free and Budget-Friendly Alternatives

“But I don’t want to buy both versions of every book.”

Fair. Here’s the thing: you don’t have to.

Library Apps (Completely Free)

Your library card is more powerful than you think. Libby by OverDrive offers synchronized ebook + audiobook access for free. Not just “you can borrow both” — actual synchronized reading where the text highlights as the audio plays. Switch seamlessly between reading and listening. Over 5 million titles available.

Hoopla Digital does the same thing with no waiting lists. If your library supports it, you can start immediately.

This is genuinely the best option for most people. Zero cost. Professional narration. Massive selection.

Public Domain: LibriVox + Project Gutenberg

For classics and older works, LibriVox offers 20,000+ free audiobooks read by volunteers. Pair these with free ebooks from Project Gutenberg (the same texts). Several LibriVox apps now offer read-along synchronization.

Quality varies since these are volunteer recordings. But for works by Austen, Dickens, Dostoevsky, or any pre-1928 author? This combination costs nothing.

Text-to-Speech: Better Than You Think

Here’s what surprised me: modern text-to-speech has gotten good. Neural voices from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are approaching human quality. And research shows TTS performs equally to human narration for learning retention in factual content.

A 2023 psychophysiological study found that while human voices create slightly more emotional engagement, the learning outcomes are comparable. For non-fiction? TTS works.

Free TTS tools worth trying:

The workflow: buy one ebook, use TTS to create the audio layer. Total cost: one book.

YouTube and Podcasts

Educational content often comes with built-in bimodal options:

The Bottom Line

You have options:

BudgetBest Approach
$0Library apps (Libby, Hoopla)
$0LibriVox + Project Gutenberg for classics
$0TTS extensions on ebooks you already own
$10-15/bookBuy ebook + use TTS
$15-25/bookBuy both versions (Whispersync deals)

The bimodal benefit — that 25-60% retention boost — works with any of these combinations. You’re not sacrificing learning quality by using free tools.

What the Process Looks Like

  1. Match the pace: Adjust audio speed so you can comfortably follow the text
  2. Kill distractions: Unlike passive listening, this requires real engagement
  3. Highlight as you go: Marking passages while listening reinforces encoding
  4. Take breaks: Cognitive load is higher with dual input. Work in 25-45 minute sessions
  5. Review your highlights: They become powerful review material later

When to Use Each Mode

SituationWhat I’d Recommend
Material that really mattersBimodal (read + listen)
First exposure to new conceptsBimodal
Review of familiar materialEither mode alone
Light entertainmentWhatever you enjoy
Commuting or exercisingAudio only (accept lower retention)
Research requiring notesReading with audio support

Sound complicated? It’s not. I was reading along with audiobooks within five minutes of trying this the first time.

”But I Can Read Faster Than I Can Listen”

Fair point. This is true for skilled readers. Research by Hui (2024) found that silent reading speed can significantly outpace comfortable listening speed.

But here’s what I’ve noticed:

Reading faster ≠ retaining more

Speed reading sacrifices comprehension. Most people who claim to read 500+ words per minute are actually skimming. And they’re retaining far less than they think.

The bimodal approach forces you to maintain a consistent, comprehension-optimized pace. You might “read” fewer words per hour. But you’ll actually remember them.

Studies on speed listening tell the same story: pushed beyond 1.5x speed, comprehension drops significantly for most people.

What works for me:

You’ll finish books a bit slower. You’ll actually remember what was in them.

Can We Stop the Audiobook Shaming?

Given the research, let’s put this debate to rest:

Listening to audiobooks is reading.

Both activities involve:

The only difference is the entry point. Eyes versus ears. Once language enters your brain, the processing is similar.

The guilt some audiobook listeners feel? It’s culturally constructed. Not scientifically justified. If you’re absorbing information and ideas, you’re reading.

The real question isn’t “do audiobooks count?” It’s “how can I optimize my comprehension and retention regardless of input?”

The answer: when it matters, use both.

Who Should Care About This?

Students

Professionals

Content Creators

Understanding bimodal learning changes how you create content:

Leaders and Executives

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most productivity advice focuses on consuming more, faster. Read more books. Listen to podcasts at 2x speed. Skim articles. Speed-read reports.

This approach optimizes for input, not retention.

Think about it. You’ve probably read dozens of business books. How many could you summarize right now? How many changed how you actually work?

The bimodal approach is slower. It requires more effort. You’ll “get through” fewer books per year.

But you’ll actually remember them.

You’ll be able to apply their ideas.

You’ll have something to show for those hours invested.

In a world drowning in content, the superpower isn’t consuming more. It’s actually retaining what you consume.

Try This Today

You don’t need special equipment or expensive tools. Here’s what to do:

  1. Pick one book that matters to your work or development
  2. Get both versions (ebook and audiobook)
  3. Read the first chapter while listening
  4. Notice how it feels different from either mode alone
  5. Test your retention a week later

Most people who try bimodal learning once never go back to single-mode consumption for important material.

The science is clear. Reading and listening are neurologically equivalent. But combining them? That’s the retention superpower hiding in plain sight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is listening to audiobooks the same as reading?

Yes, according to science. A meta-analysis of 46 studies with nearly 5,000 participants found no real difference between reading and listening comprehension. The effect size was just 0.07, which is essentially statistical noise. Whether words enter through your eyes or ears, your brain processes them through similar pathways.

What is bimodal learning?

Bimodal learning means reading and listening at the same time. This technique creates what researchers call “bimodal input”, where your brain processes information through multiple channels simultaneously, creating stronger and more integrated memory traces according to dual coding theory.

How much does bimodal learning improve retention?

Research shows significant improvements: e-learning with multiple inputs increases retention by 25-60%. A 2023 meta-analysis found an effect size of 0.41 when reading pace was controlled by audio, which is the kind of difference you’d actually notice in practice.

What are the best free tools for reading while listening?

The best free options are: Libby by OverDrive (synchronized ebooks + audiobooks from your library), Hoopla Digital (no waiting lists), LibriVox + Project Gutenberg for classics, Read Aloud (free Chrome/Firefox extension), and Microsoft Edge Immersive Reader built into the browser.

Is text-to-speech as effective as human narration for learning?

For factual and non-fiction content, yes. A 2023 psychophysiological study found that while human voices create slightly more emotional engagement, the learning outcomes are comparable. Modern neural voices from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are approaching human quality.

How do I start bimodal learning today?

You just need a text and its audio version. The easiest free method is using the Libby app from your library for synchronized ebooks and audiobooks. Adjust the audio speed to comfortably follow the text, eliminate distractions, and work in 25-45 minute sessions.

References

  1. Meta-analysis: Listening Ears or Reading Eyes
  2. Does Modality Matter? Rogowsky et al., 2016
  3. Reading-While-Listening Benefits - Hui, 2024
  4. Bimodal Learning Eye-Tracking Study - Valentini, 2024
  5. The Power of Multimodal Learning - Edutopia
  6. Are Audiobooks As Good For You As Reading? - TIME
  7. Dual Coding Theory in Education
  8. AI vs Human Voice: Psychophysiological Study, 2023
  9. Libby by OverDrive
  10. LibriVox - Free Public Domain Audiobooks
  11. Project Gutenberg - Free eBooks
  12. Read Aloud Browser Extension