Originally Posted by
mjmacky
The way I learn words is seeing one written or hearing someone speak them and if I can't figure it out in context, I look it up as well.
Therefore, I also participate in the very normal activity you described, and so does virtually everyone. We shouldn't elevate it to being something distinct because that perpetuates the idea that cracking open a dictionary or web page is a sign of failure/defeat, which discourages the process and collectively narrows our dialogs and monologs to fewer and less flavorful choices.