WORD PERCEPTION IS DISCUSSED NOT AS A MECHANICAL TOOL BUT AS A THINKING PROCESS. HOW INDIVIDUALS PERCEIVE PRINTED FORMS DEPENDS ON THE STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR READING ABILITIES. THE BEGINNING READER PROCEEDS ON THE BASIS OF WORD FORMS HE RECOGNIZES AS WHOLES. LATER HE USES CONTEXT AND PICTURE CLUES, VERBAL CONTEXT, GENERAL CONFIGURATIONS, SIGNIFICANT DETAILS, AND KNOWN WORD ELEMENTS. THE TRANSITIONAL READER GRADUALLY ACQUIRES BASIC IMMEDIATE RECOGNITION VOCABULARY, MORE SPONTANEOUS RESPONSE TO PRINTED FORMS, AND WORD-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES. HE USES THESE AIDS LESS AND LESS AS HE APPROACHES MATURITY IN READING. IN DEVELOPING WORD-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES, THE LEARNER SHOULD ACCUMULATE EXPERIENCE IN WORD PERCEPTION, MOVE THROUGH A PROCESS OF ABSTRACTION, AND FINALLY GENERALIZE WITH PRINCIPLES WHICH GUIDE ANALYSIS OF UNKNOWN WORD FORMS. WORD PERCEPTION, THEREFORE, IS NOT MERELY A MECHANICAL TOOL. IT IS A THINKING PROCESS. EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION IN THIS FACET OF READING SHOULD USE KNOWN WORDS, FOLLOW A SEQUENTIAL PATTERN, PROCEED ALONG HEURISTIC LINES, USE TRUE GENERALIZATIONS, PROVIDE ADEQUATE EXPERIENCE IN APPLYING THE TECHNIQUES, AND AIM FOR SPONTANEOUS WORD RECOGNITION. THIS PAPER IS PUBLISHED IN "READING AND THINKING, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL READING INSTITUTE AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY," TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, PHILADELPHIA, PA., 1965. (NS)