Speed reading that checks itself
Read 5× faster. Prove you kept it.
Redline is a speed-reading app. It shows one word at a time with a red focal letter so your eyes never move, then quizzes you on what you read. Speech runs at 150 words a minute, and so does the voice in your head. Redline takes you to 750: five times faster, with a score to prove it.
You read at the speed you talk.
About 150 words a minute, give or take, because you say each word in your head. Nobody trained you past it. Two habits hold the pace down: saying every word in your head, and eyes that jump along the line and back again. Both can be trained out.
One word at a time
Each word appears in the same spot with one red letter to fix your eye on. Your eyes stop travelling across the line, which is where reading time goes.
A quiz after every read
Speed is easy to fake. After each read you answer questions on what you just read, so your words-per-minute is a number you earned.
Retention checks
The questions come back later. What you kept after a week is the real score.
Read anything
Books, PDFs, Word files, web articles, podcasts and videos. Audio is transcribed so you can read it faster than anyone can say it.
Training that feels like a game
Sixty levels, daily streaks, weekly leagues and clans. Drills for eye span, focus and vocabulary.
New words, kept
Tap any word for its meaning. Words you look up go to My Words and come back as flashcards.
How fast do you read right now?
Find out in two minutes. Read 272 words, answer four questions, and get your words per minute with your comprehension score.
How it works
Take the reading speed test
Read a short passage at your normal pace and answer four questions. You get your words per minute and your comprehension score.
Start at your tested speed
Open a book or paste a link in Redline. Set the pace 50 words a minute above your test result.
Take the quiz after each read
If you score 80% or more, the pace was right. Below that, drop 50 words a minute.
Raise the pace 25 words a minute at a time
Only after two reads in a row at 80% or better. Speed that outruns comprehension does not count.
Train ten minutes a day
Drills widen how much you take in at a glance. Streaks keep you coming back, and the weekly league shows where you stand.
What do you want to read faster?
Non-fiction books
Start at 350 words a minute.
Fiction
Start at 300 words a minute.
Textbooks
Start at 250 words a minute.
Research papers
Start at 250 words a minute.
The Bible
Start at 250 words a minute.
PDFs and work documents
Start at 400 words a minute.
Articles and news
Start at 450 words a minute.
Podcasts and videos
Start at 400 words a minute.
Questions
How much faster can I read with Redline?
Five times the pace of speech. People talk at about 150 words a minute, and that is the pace of the voice in your head. Redline trains you toward 750, and quizzes you so the speed is real.
What is Redline?
Redline is a speed-reading app. It shows one word at a time with a red focal letter so your eyes never move, then quizzes you on what you read. It is in free beta: no card, sign up with an email.
How fast does the average person read?
The average adult reads 238 words a minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction, according to Brysbaert (2019), a review of 190 studies, Journal of Memory and Language. Reading aloud averages 183 words a minute.
Does speed reading hurt comprehension?
Not when you measure it. Redline quizzes you after every read, so the speed you train at is a speed you understand at. The pace goes up only when the answers hold.
How does one-word-at-a-time reading work?
It is called rapid serial visual presentation. Words appear one after another at a fixed point, so the time your eyes spend jumping along a line and back to the next one goes away. A red letter marks where to look in each word.
What can I read in Redline?
Your own books and documents (PDF, Word, text), web articles from a link, and podcasts or videos, which are transcribed into text. A starter library is included.
Is Redline free?
Yes. Redline is in free beta and does not ask for a card.