Speed Reading App

What is this tool?

This is a speed reading app, or tool, that allows you to paste in your text and that subsequently helps you reading it. It does so by flashing the words of the entered text in chunks. By default, the tool flashes one word per chunk, but you can change the chunk-size to a higher amount.

Why Should I Practice Speed Reading?

You can use this speed read tool to increase your average reading speed by practicing. Set the Words Per Minute rate (WPM) higher than your current reading rate. This will help you to read faster than you normally do. You're forced to read at the given rate, because it prevents you from regressing (as explained below). you're forced to read at the given rate. Slowly, but surely you will get used to that new rate. Even if you're not interested in increasing your reading rate, you can still use the tool to read your texts!

Regression

This tool prevents you from regressing (re-reading). When you read a text without a speed reading tool, you might re-read one or more sentences when you lose focus. The problem, however, is that you will lose focus when you regress. You should just continue reading, and when doing that, you will find yourself understanding and remembering more than initially thought. If you want to you can still re-read parts after finishing reading.

Subvocalization

Another benefit is eliminating subvocalization. Subvocalization is the voice you hear in your head when you're reading a text. The downside of subvocalization is that the voice can only go as fast as your average speaking rate, which lies around 150 words per minute for most people. This then limits your reading speed. Since this tool can flash words at a faster rate than you normally read, it renders subvocalization impossible.

How can I use it?

1. Enter/paste your text in the text box.
2. Click on the 'SPEED IT' button, which will bring you to the speed reader.
3. Change the settings to your liking. You can change the font size, the Words Per Minute rate, and the number of words per chunk.
4. Click on the 'START' button to start speed reading.
5. You restart your speed reading session by clicking on the restart button (with the arrow).
6. To change the text you can simply click on the edit button (with the pencil).

Tips

A few tips for reading texts faster (when not using this tool):

1. Use your finger or hand as a guide when reading. Hold it right under the line you're reading. This is called meta guiding. You can also use a bookmark, a pen, or any physical object you have lying around.
2. Scan the text before reading it fully. Look at the headings, pictures or figures, bold or cursive words, summaries, introductions and other elements that give you a general gist of the text.