To recite means to speak something aloud from memory, usually something you've learned and practiced beforehand. When you recite the Pledge of Allegiance at school, you're saying words you've memorized without reading them. When an actor recites lines from a play, they're performing from memory rather than reading from a script.

Recitation has been important throughout history as a way to preserve and share knowledge. Before most people could read, students would recite poems, prayers, and lessons to show they had learned them. Even today, many schools ask students to memorize and recite speeches, multiplication tables, or poems.

The word can also mean speaking or listing things in a mechanical way, like when someone recites a long list of complaints or recites facts without much feeling. When used this way, it suggests the person is just repeating information rather than thinking deeply about it.

Good recitation takes more than just memorization. When you recite a poem with expression, changing your voice to match the meaning, you bring the words to life. Practice helps: the more you rehearse what you'll recite, the more confident and natural you'll sound when it's time to recite it.