Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, humans in literate societies have sets of practices for producing and consuming writing, and they also have beliefs about these practices. Reading, in this view, is always reading something for some purpose; writing is always writing something for someone for some purpose. Beliefs about reading and writing and their value for society and for the individual always influence the ways literacy is taught, learned, and practiced.

साक्षरता का अर्थ है साक्षर होना अर्थात पढने और लिखने की क्षमता से संपन्न होना। अलग अलग देशों में साक्षरता के अलग अलग मानक हैं। भारत में राष्ट्रीय साक्षरता मिशन के अनुसार अगर कोई व्यक्ति अपना नाम लिखने और पढने की योग्यता हासिल कर लेता है तो उसे साक्षर माना जाता है।