I acquire language by reading rather than by hearing. I am in fact notoriously bad at distinguishing spoken sounds.

But building one's vocabulary by sight has its perils. I did not know until fifteen minutes ago, for example, that ague is not pronounced as if it is simply a beheaded plague.

Fortunately it's not a word I have occasion to speak very ever. I'd rather announce that I've been wrong about something than be corrected (or be silently thought clueless) ....