5 Speed Reading Tools to Enhance Your Comprehensive Capability

Speed reading is a technique that enables individuals to absorb vast amounts of information in a limited amount of time. For most readers, a reading speed of 200WPM is considered normal. However, some individuals aspire to read at twice that speed, at around 400WPM. Achieving such speed requires one to eliminate any possible distractions such as sub-vocalization, which impedes comprehension. The good news is that there are several speed reading tools available that can help eliminate distractions and enhance comprehensive capability. In this article, we discuss five such tools.

1. Squirt

The first tool we will look at is Squirt. It is an online tool that helps users increase their reading speed. To install Squirt, drag the blue booklet button on this page to the bookmarks bar on Firefox. Once installed, a hanging window will show up on your webpage. When you click the bookmarklet, all the words will be displayed centrally with a trunk line running through the middle.

Pros:

– Splits the entire article into words or sentences with flashing chunks that draw the reader’s attention.
– Adjusts the reading speed as per the reader’s preference using the back and forth arrow button. Advanced settings include shortcuts such as pause/continue, escape, and faster/slower for PC.
– Clicking the bookmarklet allows you to read the entire page. However, you can also select only specific parts of the article.
– Supported by Chrome and Safari.

Cons:

– Limited in terms of word amount or colors.
– Only available online.

2. Spreed

Spreed is a browser extension that allows users to increase their reading speed. To install it, go to Tools > Extensions > Get More Extensions on Chrome and search for “Spreed.” Alternatively, click here to install it. Once installed, users can pick up the current website into Spreed by clicking the extension located at the end of the search area.

Pros:

– Changes the reading speed from five to 1600 WPM by clicking the arrow button below WPM.
– Number of words displayed can range from one word at a time to six max. The font size can also be adjusted (5-100) and word color changed to black, white, or orange.
– Partial reading can also be activated by selecting the content and picking up the text into Spreed by right-clicking.
– Supports various advanced settings like an independent window for flexible reading.
– More settings, especially in font size and words amount.

Cons:

– Unable to activate by one-click.
– Only supports Chrome users.
– Only available online.

3. Spreeder

Spreeder is an online tool that enables users to copy and paste any text to a box and click “spreed!” The tool then reads the text by displaying words or sentences as per setting. All the settings can be found on the bottom toolbar.

Pros:

– Has several powerful settings to change the word speed, size, and color that enable users to customize their reading experience.
– Supports advanced settings like skipping “stop words” which convey no additional meaning to the sentence (i.e. ‘the’, ‘an’, etc).
– Supports the bookmarklet version.

Cons:

– Unable to activate by one-click.
– Only copies and pastes entire sections of material.
– Unable to choose different fonts.

4. Acceleread

Acceleread is a speed reading tool available for download in different OS versions, including Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Mac OS. Click here or search for it in the App Store to download it.

Pros:

– Provides ten lessons to familiarize readers with the theories behind speed reading. The training center has different tools such as Diamond Highlighter which improve comprehensive capability.
– Monitoring training results to track progress.
– Creative highlighting tools,
– Customizable personal file reading.
– Explains the science behind speed reading and trains you to do it.

Cons:

– Mainly training tools, hence unable to read articles online.
– Includes lots of guidelines and explanations that may overwhelm some users.

5. 7SpeedReading

7SpeedReading is a standalone application that can be downloaded on both Windows and Mac OS. It enables users to create personal accounts and log in to individual courses. The application offers six chapters for Step-By-Step Success, which focuses on essential speed reading skills, eye and body health, warm-up exercises, tripling reading speed, advanced training, and testing comprehension. After finishing these chapters, users can proceed to Power Access, which has seven parts.

Pros:

– Provides comprehensive training courses.
– Offers multiple options for different reading requirements.
– Provides advanced and healthy training theology.
– Supports any file format, including PDF and email.
– Supports various operating systems.

Cons:

– Complex.
– A paid service.

Conclusion

Reading at 400WPM is a skill that requires some level of training and discipline. However, with the right speed reading tool, anybody can achieve this goal. The five tools discussed in this article provide different functionalities suited to various reading needs. They all aim to eliminate distractions and enhance comprehension capability.