Speed Reading: The Complete Guide to Reading Faster and Remembering More

Speed reading is a set of techniques for reading faster while keeping the understanding you need. The main methods are using a pacer such as a finger or pen, taking in more words with each glance, reducing re-reading, and adjusting your pace to your purpose. Combined with previewing and active recall, speed reading can help you get through more books, study material and work reading in less time.

Learning and reading skill · Helps with: study, work reading, focus, reading more books, information overload

Last updated: 30 October 2026

Written by Saj Ali

Reading time: about 15 minutes

How we wrote this guide: this guide was written by Saj Ali. Every research claim below links to the original study, its DOI or an official record.

Quick answer: what is speed reading and how do you learn it?

• Most adults read 175 to 300 words a minute. A review of 190 studies found that the average adult reads English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute and fiction at about 260 (Brysbaert, 2019).
• A pacer is the simplest technique. Guiding your eyes with a pen or finger keeps you moving forward and reduces re-reading. Tim Ferriss reports an average 386% increase in reading speed in his PX Project seminar using pacing and perceptual expansion (Tim Ferriss).
• Evelyn Wood made speed reading famous. She founded the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Institute in Washington in 1959, which grew to more than 150 outlets, and taught White House staff (Los Angeles Times).
• Purpose matters. Skimming with a clear goal helps you remember the most important ideas when time is short (Duggan & Payne, 2009), while re-reading builds fluency and comprehension (Therrien, 2004).
• You can start in 20 minutes. A simple practice session with a pacer, then gradually faster pacing, is enough to feel the difference.

Contents

1. What Is Speed Reading?
   • Speed Reading at a Glance
2. A Short History of Speed Reading
3. Core Speed Reading Techniques
   • 1. Pacing
   • 2. Reduce re-reading
   • 3. Expand your eye span
   • 4. Quiet the inner voice
   • 5. Preview first
   • 6. Read with questions
   • 7. Match pace to purpose
4. How to Speed Read: A 20-Minute Practice Session
5. Benefits of Speed Reading
6. What the Research Shows
   • How fast people read
   • Skimming with a purpose
   • Repeated reading
   • Remembering what you read
   • The studies at a glance
7. Speed Reading on Screens
   • Habits to build
8. Speed Reading for Study and Work
   • For students
   • For work reading
   • For pleasure
9. Speed Reading vs PhotoReading vs Skimming
10. Getting the Most from Speed Reading
11. Courses, Books and Apps
    • Costs
12. Watch, Listen and Follow
13. Frequently Asked Questions About Speed reading
14. Key Takeaways
15. Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
16. Sources

What Is Speed Reading?

Speed reading is the skill of reading faster while keeping enough understanding for your purpose. It is less about a single trick and more about building efficient reading habits: keeping your eyes moving forward, taking in more text with each glance, and choosing the right pace for each kind of material.

Good speed readers are flexible. They might read a novel at a relaxed pace, move quickly through a news article, and skim a report for the key points before reading the most important sections in detail.

Speed Reading at a Glance

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A Short History of Speed Reading

Speed reading became widely known through Evelyn Wood, a teacher from Utah. While studying, she became fascinated by naturally fast readers and developed a method to teach the skill. In 1959 she and her husband, M. Douglas Wood, founded the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Institute in Washington, DC. At its peak the institute had more than 150 outlets across the United States (Los Angeles Times).

President John F. Kennedy, himself a natural speed reader, invited Wood to teach his White House staff in 1962. President Richard Nixon later did the same, and in 1977 President Jimmy Carter took her course with his family, reportedly raising his reading rate to 1,200 words a minute. Her students also included actor Burt Lancaster (Los Angeles Times).

Wood’s best-known technique was using the hand as a guide down the page, which is still the foundation of most speed reading courses today. Later teachers such as Tony Buzan, Abby Marks Beale and Jim Kwik built on these ideas, and in 2009 Tim Ferriss popularised a short self-test drawn from a seminar he taught at Princeton University in 1998 (Tim Ferriss).

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Core Speed Reading Techniques

1. Pacing

Use a finger, pen or card to guide your eyes along each line. A pacer keeps you moving forward, reduces wandering and helps you set a steady, gradually faster rhythm. Ferriss calls this using a “tracker and pacer” (Tim Ferriss).

2. Reduce re-reading

Many readers unconsciously jump back to re-read words they have just read. Keeping your pacer moving helps break this habit. When you genuinely need to re-read, do it on purpose.

3. Expand your eye span

Instead of focusing on each word, take in groups of words at a time. Starting your gaze a word or two in from the margins lets your peripheral vision pick up the edges of each line (Tim Ferriss).

4. Quiet the inner voice

Most people “hear” the words as they read. You do not need to eliminate this, but as your pace increases, the inner voice naturally shortens to key words.

5. Preview first

Before you read, skim the title, headings, summaries and conclusion. Knowing the structure in advance makes the detail easier to follow and remember (Luiten et al., 1980).

6. Read with questions

Write down two or three questions before you start. Asking questions before reading has been shown to improve learning (Richland et al., 2009).

7. Match pace to purpose

Skim when you need the main ideas, read steadily when you need detail, and slow down for difficult or important passages.

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How to Speed Read: A 20-Minute Practice Session

This session is adapted from the PX Project method shared by Tim Ferriss. You need a book that lies flat when open, a pen and a timer. Do not worry about comprehension during the drills; you are training a motor skill first.

1. Find your baseline. Count the words in five lines and divide by five to get your average words per line. Then read normally for one minute, count the lines you read and multiply by words per line. This is your starting words per minute.
2. Use a pen as a tracker (2 minutes). Hold a capped pen and underline each line as you read, focusing just above the tip. Spend no more than one second on each line.
3. Speed up the pacer (3 minutes). Repeat, but now allow no more than half a second per line. Keep moving even if you understand little. You are training your eyes to follow a faster pace.
4. Start one word in (1 minute). Begin each line one word in from the left edge and end one word before the right edge, using your peripheral vision to take in the edges.
5. Start two words in (1 minute). Move in to two words from each edge, keeping the pacer moving at a steady speed.
6. Start three words in (2 minutes). Move in to three words from each edge at no more than half a second per line.
7. Practise at three times your target. Ferriss recommends practising technique at about three times your goal speed, so your goal pace feels comfortable afterwards.
8. Test yourself again. Read normally for one minute with the pacer and calculate your new words per minute. Compare it with your baseline.

Repeat this session a few times a week. Over time, the faster pace becomes natural and you can focus on understanding at your new speed.

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Benefits of Speed Reading

• Read more. Even a modest increase in speed adds up to many more books each year.
• Save time at work and study. Faster reading of emails, reports and textbooks frees up time for other things.
• Better focus. A pacer and a clear purpose keep your mind on the page. See our ADHD guide for more focus strategies.
• Less overwhelm. A reliable method makes long reading lists feel manageable. See procrastination and stress management.
• More confidence. Many people who saw themselves as “slow readers” feel more capable once they have a method. See self-confidence.
• More enjoyment. Reading with momentum can make books more absorbing and help you reach a flow state.
• Lifelong learning. Reading more widely keeps you curious and motivated. See motivation.

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What the Research Shows

How fast people read

Brysbaert analysed 190 studies with 18,573 participants and estimated that the average adult reads English silently at 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction, with most adults between 175 and 300 wpm for non-fiction. Reading rates vary reliably between individuals, which means there is real room for personal improvement (Brysbaert, 2019).

Skimming with a purpose

Duggan and Payne gave readers only enough time to read half of each text. Compared with reading half the text, skimming improved memory for the important ideas (Duggan & Payne, 2009). Skimming is a useful skill when you need the main points quickly.

Repeated reading

A meta-analysis by Therrien found that repeated reading increases reading fluency and comprehension, both on the practised passage and as a general skill (Therrien, 2004). Ferriss makes a similar point: for study, read the same material several times rather than more material once (Tim Ferriss).

Remembering what you read

Roediger and Karpicke found that testing yourself after reading leads to much better long-term retention than simply re-reading (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). Pausing after each chapter to recall the key points is a powerful partner to faster reading.

The studies at a glance

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Speed Reading on Screens

Much of today’s reading happens on phones, tablets and computers. The same principles apply, with a few adjustments.

• Use your cursor or finger as a pacer. Moving the cursor along the lines, or sliding a finger on a touch screen, gives the same forward momentum as a pen on paper.
• Narrow the column. Shorter lines are easier to take in at a glance. Reader modes in browsers and e-readers make text cleaner and narrower.
• Increase the font a little. Comfortable, clear text reduces strain and helps you keep a steady pace.
• Turn off distractions. Close other tabs and silence notifications while you read.
• Scroll in steady chunks. Scroll a screen at a time rather than in small jerks, so your eyes can move smoothly down the page.

Habits to build

Speed reading is as much about habits as techniques. These simple changes help most readers:

• Decide before you start. Ask “Why am I reading this?” and “What do I need from it?”
• Keep moving forward. Mark confusing passages and return to them at the end rather than stopping mid-flow.
• Read in focused blocks. Twenty-five minutes of focused reading followed by a short break suits many people.
• Summarise as you go. A one-line note at the end of each section helps the ideas stick.
• Read every day. Like any skill, reading speed grows with regular practice. Even ten pages a day adds up to many books a year.

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Speed Reading for Study and Work

For students

1. Preview the chapter for two or three minutes.
2. Write the questions you need to answer.
3. Read with a pacer at a comfortable but brisk pace.
4. Close the book and write or say what you remember.
5. Re-read the key sections, then test yourself again a few days later.

For work reading

• Read the summary, introduction and conclusion first.
• Skim headings and the first sentence of each paragraph.
• Slow down only for the sections that affect your decisions.
• Capture actions and key points straight away.

For pleasure

Speed reading is a choice, not a rule. Many keen speed readers still enjoy novels and poetry slowly. The aim is to have the option to read faster when it helps you.

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Speed Reading vs PhotoReading vs Skimming

The techniques complement each other. Many readers preview and skim first, then speed read the parts that matter.

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Getting the Most from Speed Reading

• Practise little and often. Ten to twenty minutes a few times a week builds the skill steadily.
• Track your progress. Record your words per minute each week; seeing improvement keeps you motivated.
• Check your understanding. After each session, summarise the main points in a sentence or two.
• Look after your focus. Read in a quiet place, put your phone away and take short breaks. Our mindfulness and meditation guides help train attention.
• Relax. Tension slows reading. Calm breathing or a short relaxation practice beforehand helps.
• See yourself as a fast reader. Your self-image shapes your habits. See Psycho-Cybernetics and visualisation.
• Try digital tools. Apps that flash words one at a time can be fun practice, but keep most of your training on real pages and screens.

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Courses, Books and Apps

You can learn speed reading for free with a book, a pen and the session in this guide. If you want more structure, there are many options.

• Books: classic guides such as Abby Marks Beale’s 10 Days to Faster Reading and Tony Buzan’s The Speed Reading Book offer step-by-step programmes.
• Online courses: teachers such as Jim Kwik and Ron White offer speed reading and memory courses.
• Free guides: Tim Ferriss’s PX Project blog post sets out a complete practice session (Tim Ferriss).
• Apps: reading apps and browser tools can help you practise pacing on screen.

Costs

Self-practice is free, books are an affordable next step, and online course prices vary widely, so check the current price before you sign up. Many teachers offer free introductory videos, including those below.

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Watch, Listen and Follow

Follow along with practical speed reading techniques from well-known teachers and a world-class speed reader.

Videos

• How to Triple Your Reading Speed in 20 Minutes (Tim Ferriss) – Tim Ferriss. Tim Ferriss on tripling your reading speed.
• How to Speed Read – Tim Ferriss. Tim Ferriss demonstrates the pacer method.
• How to Remember What You Read – Tim Ferriss. Tips for remembering what you read.
• TOP Speed Reading Techniques to Help You Read Faster – Jim Kwik. Jim Kwik shares his top techniques.
• 5 Speed Reading Techniques to Read Faster and Retain More – Jim Kwik. Five techniques to read faster and retain more.
• Learn How To Speed Read – Best Speed Reading Techniques – Ron White Memory Expert – Memory Training & Brain Training. Memory expert Ron White on speed reading.
• How to Read Faster – Mark Manson. Mark Manson on reading faster.
• How to Read Faster 📚 (Even If You’re a “Slow Reader”) – Tanya Sok. Practical tips for self-described slow readers.
• 📖📖📖SPEED

  Reading time: about 15 minutes

  TECHNIQUES 📚📚📚(world champion speed reading Michel Wozniak) – Studio UniQ – Jasper Geluk. Techniques from a world champion speed reader.

Books

• 10 Days to Faster Reading – Abby Marks Beale (2001). A short, practical programme with timed exercises.
• The Speed Reading Book – Tony Buzan. Combines pacing with mind mapping and memory techniques.

Free resources

• Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes – Tim Ferriss’s practice session.
• How many words do we read per minute? – Brysbaert’s review of reading rates.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Speed reading

What is speed reading?

Speed reading is a set of techniques for reading faster while keeping the understanding you need. The main techniques are using a pacer, reducing re-reading, taking in groups of words and matching your pace to your purpose.

What is the average reading speed?

A review of 190 studies found that adults read English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute and fiction at about 260 words per minute, with most adults between 175 and 300 wpm.

Who invented speed reading?

Evelyn Wood popularised speed reading when she founded the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Institute in Washington, DC, in 1959. It grew to more than 150 outlets, and her students included White House staff.

How can I speed read quickly?

Start with a pen as a pacer, spending no more than one second per line, then half a second. Next, start and end each line a few words in from the margins. Practise at a faster pace than your target, then retest.

Does speed reading affect understanding?

Understanding depends on your purpose. Skimming helps you remember the main ideas when time is short, while slowing down and re-reading builds deeper comprehension. Good readers switch between speeds.

How long does it take to learn speed reading?

You can learn the basic techniques in a single 20-minute session. Regular practice over a few weeks makes the faster pace feel natural.

Is speed reading good for studying?

Yes, especially combined with previewing, asking questions before you read, re-reading key sections and testing yourself afterwards.

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Key Takeaways

• Most adults read 175 to 300 words per minute, so there is room to improve.
• A pen or finger pacer is the simplest and most powerful technique.
• Evelyn Wood made speed reading popular from 1959.
• Preview first and read with questions.
• Match your speed to your purpose: skim, read or study.
• Recall what you read to remember it for longer.

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Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

Use these guides alongside this one:

• Flow state – focused, absorbed reading
• Mindfulness – train your attention
• Meditation – calm focus
• Relaxation – read without tension
• Psycho-Cybernetics – your self-image as a reader
• Visualisation – see yourself succeed
• NLP – learning states
• Procrastination – get started on reading
• ADHD – focus strategies
• Motivation – keep learning
• Self-confidence – believe in yourself
• Stress management – reduce overwhelm
• Overthinking – a quieter mind
• Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.

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Sources

1. Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109, 104047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047
2. Duggan, G. B., & Payne, S. J. (2009). Text skimming: The process and effectiveness of foraging through text under time pressure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 228–242. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016995
3. Therrien, W. J. (2004). Fluency and comprehension gains as a result of repeated reading: A meta-analysis. Remedial and Special Education, 25(4), 252–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325040250040801
4. Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
5. Richland, L. E., Kornell, N., & Kao, L. S. (2009). The pretesting effect: Do unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance learning? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016496
6. Luiten, J., Ames, W., & Ackerson, G. (1980). A meta-analysis of the effects of advance organizers on learning and retention. American Educational Research Journal, 17(2), 211–218. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312017002211
7. Ferriss, T. (2009, 30 July). Scientific speed reading: How to read 300% faster in 20 minutes. The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss. https://tim.blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-learning/
8. Los Angeles Times. (1995, 31 August). Evelyn Wood; pioneer in speed reading. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-31-mn-40830-story.html

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