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Background/Objectives Alexia without agraphia is a disorder of reading inability with intact writing, usually caused by infarction in the left occipital lobe involving the splenium. A significantly rarer form arises following lesions in the left inferior temporal lobe, affecting the visual word form area (VWFA), a specialised region responsible for word recognition. We describe a 51-year-old male with alexia without agraphia due to a strategic infarction affecting the VWFA, with complete recovery several weeks later.Methods The patient‘s history and examination findings are reported, with imaging findings presented, and a discussion of the literature.Results The patient demonstrated selective impairment in whole-word reading, with preserved writing and letter-by-letter reading, and no visual field defects. MR brain demonstrated VWFA infarction. The patient experienced complete recovery.Discussion This case illustrates a ‘cortical’ variant of alexia without agraphia due to strategic infarction in the VWFA, distinct from the better-recognised ‘disconnection syndrome’ involving the occipital lobe and splenium. This report further evidences the VWFA’s role in word recognition, providing valuable insights into the functional localisation of reading and writing abilities.andrewmacphie@gmail.com