Speed reading: controls and shortcuts

RapidReader shows text one word at a time in one spot. This is called RSVP, Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. One letter in each word is red and stays on the centre line, so your eye has somewhere to land.

The controls

• Play and pause: the play button, or Space.
• Speed: ◀ and ▶, or ← and →, change it by 25 words a minute. Click the speed to type an exact number.
• Progress bar: click anywhere to jump there. It shows words read, words left and time remaining.
• Chapters: books and long documents get a table of contents and previous and next chapter.
• Search: find a word or phrase and jump to it.
• View Text: see the whole text normally, to read or edit it.
• ✓ Finish: ends the session. Your place is saved, and Continue picks up there.

Keyboard shortcuts

Key	What it does
Space	Play or pause
← →	Slower or faster
Home End	Jump to the start or end
R	Back to the beginning
S	Search in the text
T	Table of contents
[ ]	Previous or next chapter
B / Shift+B	Add a bookmark / list bookmarks
Esc	Close or go back

In the library, ↑ and ↓ move between articles and Enter opens one. Press ? anywhere for the full list.

Getting faster, comfortably

• Start around 300 words a minute and raise it a little at a time.
• Warm-up (Settings → Reading Speed) starts each session at your start speed and builds to your target over a few seconds.
• RapidReader pauses a little at commas and full stops. Change how long in Settings.
• Going faster trades some detail for speed. Slow down for the parts that matter, and take a quiz to check what stuck. More in The science.