A TikTok creator has sparked a wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to be “functionally illiterate.”

Brandon (@brandonruinseverything) posted a video explaining that the commonly cited “60% of America is illiterate” stat doesn’t refer to an inability to read a book, but to gaps in comprehension and practical reading skills.

In the video, he said, “I don’t think y’all realise that when they say that 60% of America is illiterate, they don’t mean that you couldn’t open up your favourite childhood book and read it front to back. That’s not what they mean.

“‘Functionally illiterate’ means that you can look at this word and not know how to sound it out.” He used the example “staphylococol,” which sat on the screen for a little while as he talked through his point.

He then expanded the idea with more examples.

“If you do not know the difference between there, their, and they’re, too, two, and to, your and you’re, you are illiterate […] If you are one of those people who find yourself chronically missing the point every single time, you might be illiterate.”

According to him, comprehension mattered as much as pronunciation. He argued that English teachers tried to build this skill when they asked students to interpret deeper meanings in assigned texts.

“Phonetics is an important pillar of language and the lack of phonetic awareness will most likely contribute to poor social climate should the masses not choose to pursue further education (doesn’t have to be institutionalized learning),” Brandon said in an email to the Daily Dot.

“Also I think that this app itself is contributing to declining literacy and social skills.”

Discussions spread across TikTok and beyond

The video gained over 8.5 million views since being posted on Sep. 28, 2025, adding to a long pattern in his feed. Although his tone often sparked arguments, users kept returning to discuss similar subjects.

Additionally, folks on other platforms joined in. On X, @SketchesbyBoze wrote, “Less than half of Americans read even a single book in a given year… You won’t have the historical & media literacy needed to distinguish truth from lies. This is why they want you illiterate.”

Meanwhile, Redditors examined the topic through everyday examples. One comment by u/PiskoWK said, “A more apt and daily example is that those that are functionally illiterate can not fully understand instructions from their medication bottles.”

A pharmacy tech replied that “most med instructions are at about a 5th grade reading level for this exact reason.” These exchanges showed how the idea moved from TikTok commentary to broader conversations about day-to-day reading tasks.

Broader data placed the conversation in context

Research from The Atlantic provided additional background. The publication wrote, “We are now seeing what the lost decade in American education has wrought. By some measures, American students have regressed to a level not seen in 25 years or more. Test scores from NAEP, short for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, released this year show that 33 percent of eighth graders are reading at a level that is ‘below basic.'”

It also noted that the 2024 ACT average score of 19.4 marked the lowest result since the exam’s 1990 redesign.

@brandonruinseverything #LanguageLearning #literacy #literacymatters #reading ♬ original sound – BrandonRuinsEverything💔

The outlet also pointed to a possible factor in these trends. It stated, “A more likely culprit for learning loss is smartphones,” summarizing Jonathan Haidt’s argument that a “phone-based childhood” lined up with falling performance and increased mental health concerns.

Not only that, but teenage smartphone access rose rapidly during the same years. By 2018, access reached 95 percent, and many teens reported near-constant internet use.

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The post “60% of America is illiterate”: Creator explains why not knowing ‘their/there/they’re’ makes people ‘functionally illiterate’ appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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