Books Speed Reading Library
Fig 3.0: Information Velocity

The Speed Reading Tachometer

Executive Summary
  • The Baseline: The average untrained human reads at 200 Words Per Minute (WPM).
  • The Bottleneck: "Subvocalization" (saying the words in your head) caps your speed at 400 WPM.
  • The Goal: To read visually, bypassing the auditory cortex, reaching 600+ WPM.

Information is the currency of the 21st century. If you read at average speed, you are earning minimum wage in the knowledge economy.

Use the tool below to benchmark your current "Information Velocity."

// WPM DIAGNOSTIC ENGINE
Click START to reveal the text.
Read at your normal pace.
Click STOP when finished.
The concept of speed reading has existed since the 1950s, popularized by Evelyn Wood. It relies on the biological fact that your eyes do not move smoothly across a page; they make jumpy movements called "saccades." By reducing the number of saccades per line and expanding your peripheral vision, you can ingest entire phrases at once rather than individual words. Most importantly, you must silence the inner voice in your head, known as subvocalization. This inner voice reads at speaking speed (150-200 WPM), acting as a governor on your brain's true processing power, which can handle visual data much faster. To break this barrier, you must train your eyes to move faster than your internal narrator can keep up.
Your Velocity:
0 WPM

The Physics of Reading

Your eyes do not slide across the page; they jump. These jumps are called saccades. Each jump takes 25-30ms. The average reader makes 10 jumps per line. The speed reader makes 2.

The "Subvocalization" Barrier

Right now, you are probably "hearing" these words in your head. This is subvocalization. It limits your reading speed to your speaking speed (~200 WPM). To break the 500 WPM barrier, you must decouple looking from hearing.

Training FAQ

Does speed reading lower comprehension?

Initially, yes. But research shows that at higher speeds, the brain enters "flow," often improving structural understanding of the text.

What is RSVP reading?

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. It's an app technique that flashes one word at a time on the screen. It eliminates eye movement entirely.

References:
1. Rayner, K. (1998). Eye movements in reading and information processing. Psychological Bulletin.
2. Ferriss, T. (2007). The 4-Hour Chef (Meta-Learning Section).

Now that you can learn faster, what will you master?

>> CALCULATE YOUR MASTERY VELOCITY