ElioBookHow to read faster: 7 techniques that work
The average reader reads between 200 and 250 words per minute. With practice and the right tools, you can gain real speed on the texts that lend themselves to it. Here are seven concrete techniques to combine according to your texts and your goals: everyone has their own way of reading faster.
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1. Quiet your subvocalization
Subvocalization is the inner voice that pronounces every word. Useful when learning to read, it later caps your speed at the pace of speech. You never silence it completely, and that is not the goal: it contributes to comprehension. What you can do is push it into the background on easy texts, by reading faster than you can "say" the words; an imposed pace, like in RSVP, helps a lot.
2. Cut down on reflexive backtracking
Regressions (re-reading a word or sentence) take up a significant share of reading time. Not all of them are equal. Going back because you genuinely lost the thread is useful: research shows these returns support comprehension. But many re-reads are mere reflexes, triggered by habit or distraction, and those slow you down for nothing. The training is to push forward confidently on easy texts, while keeping the right to go back when the meaning calls for it.
3. Widen your visual span
Instead of fixating on each word, train yourself to take in groups of 2 or 3 words at once. You cut the number of fixations per line, and therefore your reading time.
4. Use a visual guide
Following the text with a finger, a pen or an animated highlighter paces your eyes and stops them from wandering. That's the principle of the guided highlight mode.
5. Try RSVP reading
Rapid serial visual presentation shows words one at a time at a fixed point and removes eye movement entirely. It's the most effective technique for climbing in speed, best kept for suitable texts: at very high pace, comprehension eventually drops. Learn how RSVP reading works.
6. Increase speed in steps
Don't try to triple your speed overnight. Go up 10 to 15% at a time, let your brain adapt, then push again. An adjustable speed, like in ElioBook, makes this progression easy.
7. Match speed to the text
Reading fast doesn't mean reading everything at the same pace. Speed up on narrative or familiar passages, slow down on dense or technical ideas. The real skill is modulating.
Put it into practice
ElioBook combines several of these techniques (RSVP, Spritz, guided highlight, auto-scroll) in a single free app. Import an EPUB book or paste an article, set your speed, and start training today.