read lips

read someone's lips

to manage to understand speech by watching and interpreting the movements of the speaker's lips. I couldn't hear her but I could read her lips.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Santa	SAHN-tah	Italian
Hanga	HAWN-gaw	Hungarian
Charla	SHAHR-lə	English
Moyna	-	Irish, Scottish
Hedvika	-	Czech, Slovene
Norah	['nɔ:rə]