Does speed reading exist, and are there methods to combine it with memorization?
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Check out the udemy course from Jonathan Levi on speedreading. It’s definitely real, though very rare.
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I would say no. At least not in the way most people think about speed reading.
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Without a fixed definition or an established consensus around a subject, you can always argue one or the other into ad infinitum. To my knowledge, in this particular case, this applies here as well. If I were to throw around some unverified anecdotal data, it seems likely that around 250 WPM with “normal” (~80%) comprehension is a fair estimate for the average adult in 2026.
So let’s say an A4 consists of 10 words per line. You then finish reading more than 6 lines within 15 seconds without comprehension defiency. If that is the case, then I’d say you already got some technique down. Which, may or may not be done entirely subconsciously. So just what are these tricks? According to my own research it basically boils down to:
- Familiarity with the subject and written language
- Interest/mind state
- Fewer words per line (less eye strain moving from row to row)
- 0.2% Schema theory, as in, you recognise the structure of a sentence and can nail down the keywords needed to complete such. also known as skipping over lame words to just get to the frickin’ point
I estimate my own comfortable reading speed for studying to be about 280 WPM, however on a good day I might stabilize at 350. This neither shows that I am a “speed reader” nor a gifted individual beyond the average human capacity. I just enjoy spending more time elsewhere (my head) and employ diligence when I feel like doing so.
On a sidenote, I would assume this type of reasoning is behind as to why speed reading hasn’t come close to becoming an associated discipline to our territory. But feel free to correct me.
TLDMemorize: Jogging versus sprinting might be an apt metaphor for all this.
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Could you tell me a bit more?
I am assuming you specifically ask for more info on my loose bullet point list, so I will give it a try (being an ESL myself, I strongly recommend using a worthy translator like deepL).
- Familiarity with the subject and written language - as it says, the more you already know about the thing you are studying, the more likely it is for it to “click” and become easily digested. In simple terms, you want to build your ‘knowledge skeleton/tree’ from the core branches outwards one at a time. Neurons that wire together, fire together!
- Interest/mind state - interest is mostly self-explanatory, while mind state might deserve a paragraph of it’s own. Essentially if you yourself are not convinced that you can/want/need to/ study what you have at hand, then you will most likely lose focus quicker. Viewing the item before you as something you like even though you trick yourself into that mind set, can be use as leverage for motivation of plowing through the text without extra effort. Sidenote: I could write all day about other related mental and physical issues such as depression and sleep loss deficiency that might affect performance but I am sure I would do a worse job than any simple AI prompt connecting those to the matter.
- Fewer words per line (less eye strain moving from row to row) - could be phrased better, simply calling it Line Length or Measure in terms of characters per line. Reading digital information in vertical mode is always preferred personally for this very reason and zooming in if required. It never fails to amaze me how much more I am able to consume in this state compared to small font on horizontal screens.
- 0.2% Schema theory - I summarized it this way because it rarely ever benefits me personally (aside from chatting with AI). While filler words have always existed, I find that I rarely consume full texts that are poorly written whomst I categorize being culprits of commonly using these types of clefts. I haven’t actually thought too hard about what exact requirements I use to deem any body of text worthy enough to spend comprehension on, but it might be the next step in my personal journey.
Feel free to DM me with further inquiry as to not stray too far from the topic you created!
I think not. Yes there are ways to read faster but not as fast as it’s said. Yes there are people that reads really fast but they have natural skills. You can learn to read faster but there’s no magical systems. About combine with palace I believe can be possible. But in different moments.
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Yes, but not in the way you think. The eyes can’t move that fast, and the brain can’t process words that easily once they exceed a certain limit. So, for words, I’d say with absolute certainty, no.
However, for images, yes. The speed is quite high in this respect. I can tell you this from personal experience. I have composite images that contain up to 30 words integrated into a single image, or a section with 30 words, like a mind map using Bruno’s techniques. Therefore, I can review texts at high speed.
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There are other posts on this topic.
Here is a recent post based on a YouTube video:
podsumowując szybkie czytanie istnieje ale nie przynosi jakiś specjalnych korzyści . jeśli mamy jakiś pewien limit słów na linijkę wtedy można go wykorzystać . Ale przy zupełnie nowym obcym temacie najlepiej czytać swoim własnym tempem . Szkoda czytałem kiedyś Tony Buzan mówił , że istnieje prędkosc powyżej 1000 słów na minutę i zrozumienie 70 procent .
In school, we’ve been taught to read word by word.
For me this was always pain and I lost focus frequently. Our eyes absorbs all what they can see and here, may, is some truth in Speed Reading.
But Speed Reading ist not speed comprehension! I read that Speed Reading helps preparing your brain and then read it again. I did this with physics at university and it helped me gaining a better comprehension.
I didn’t follow up this topic for a while. If anyone has good resources based on modern studies, I am interested in reading them.
regards,
Björn
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It’s essentially skimming.
Pretty good comprehension for skimming. That’s why I think it’s better than calling it reading. It’s fairly low comprehension for reading. But it does help with getting to the point of a text.
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Yes you can see that way the important points and mark it. Or underline.
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How to read without repeating the alphabet in your head
You see the words but thinking in ideas. That’s skimming I guess.
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No, at most you can poorly skim. There is no credibility for speedreading tecniques.
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Skimming is not bad anyway. It helps a lot.
My reading speed was 280 words per minute. I took an Evelyn Woods speed reading course. At the end of the course I was reading 3,000 words per minute with amazingly better comprehension. Speed reading is a technique that can be learned.
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How ? Did you read Tony Buzan Speed reading ? What method did you use ?
I did some speed reading exercises some time ago. It does improve your reading speed, but it needs lots of practice. Mine improved by about 50%.
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