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Speed reading trainer: book pacer + RSVP with ORP, zero runtime dependencies

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Speed Reading Trainer

Train your reading speed in the browser. Two modes, zero runtime dependencies, all data stays on your machine.

Try it live →

Demo: Book mode pacer highlighting chunks, then RSVP mode flashing words with ORP accent

Why

Most adults read at 200-300 wpm. Reading faster is mostly a pacing problem: the eyes wander, re-read out of habit, and linger longer than recognition requires. This trainer gives your eyes a metronome (a moving highlight or a flashing word) so you read at a deliberate, gradually increasing pace instead of an accidental one.

It is grounded in reading research rather than speed-reading hype: the speed slider stops at 600 wpm, because beyond that comprehension measurably drops (see The science below).

Modes

Book

A warm paper page. A moving highlight over a chunk of 1-5 words paces your eyes down the text; the page autoscrolls to keep the chunk in view. Click any word to rewind to it: re-reading is part of comprehension, not a failure. A progress bar shows position and estimated time remaining.

RSVP

A dark stage showing one word at a time, centered, with the optimal recognition point (ORP) letter accented so your eyes never have to move. Pauses automatically: ×2 at sentence-ending punctuation, ×1.3 at commas, ×1.5 at long words.

Usage

  1. Open the live demo. A demo text ("How fast can you read?") is preloaded when the library is empty.
  2. Load your own text: the Paste button or Ctrl+V, the file picker (Ctrl+O), or drag & drop a file onto the page. Shortcuts show as ⌘V / ⌘O on macOS.
  3. Pick a mode, press Space, read.
  4. Adjust speed with the slider or ←/→ (±25 wpm). Optional auto-progression adds +10 wpm every 2 minutes.
  5. Come back anytime. Per-text progress, the text library, and session stats (with a wpm chart) live in localStorage.

Keyboard shortcuts

Key Action
Space Play / pause
← / → Speed −25 / +25 wpm
Ctrl+V (⌘V) Paste text
Ctrl+O (⌘O) Open file
F5 Reset to start

Features

  • Speed 60-600 wpm, optional auto-progression (+10 wpm every 2 min)
  • Text library with per-text progress, stored in localStorage
  • Session stats with an SVG wpm chart
  • Click-to-rewind in Book mode
  • Auto-pauses at punctuation, commas, and long words in RSVP mode
  • Platform-aware shortcut labels (⌘ on macOS)
  • No accounts, no servers, no tracking: everything stays in your browser

Development

npm install
npm run dev      # dev server
npm test         # unit tests (Vitest)
npm run build    # typecheck + production build

Vanilla TypeScript + Vite, no runtime dependencies.

The science

Built on reading research (Rayner et al., 2016, So Much to Read, So Little Time):

  • Chunk highlighting works as a pacer, not as "reading word groups". The benefit is rhythm, not magic.
  • Regressions (re-reading) matter for comprehension, hence click-to-rewind instead of forced forward-only flow.
  • Speeds above ~600 wpm trade away comprehension, so the slider deliberately stops there.

License

MIT

About

Speed reading trainer: book pacer + RSVP with ORP, zero runtime dependencies

Topics

Resources

Stars

2 stars

Watchers

1 watching

Forks

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