Introduction
Pushing your reading speed can cost comprehension. The trade-off is not inevitable.
Why does increasing speed reduce comprehension?
Reading requires a conceptual understanding of text. Most readers understand individual words, process their meanings, and link together the meanings of words to understand concepts.
Slowing down as you read will improve your comprehension. Going slower gives you more time to process individual words and link concepts together.
The opposite is true too. If you move your eyes faster, you will reduce comprehension as you have less time to process concepts. Difficult concepts may become incomprehensible at high speeds. The same is true if you are encountering concepts for the first time i.e. you are learning.
You can read faster without reducing comprehension
Most readers do not read near the maximum rate at which they can process information. They read at a speed well below how quickly their brains can process information. Try increasing your reading speed as you read by being intentional with your focus as you read. You may find that you can read faster. This should prove to you that you are reading below the rate at which you process information.
There will be a ceiling to how fast you can go without reducing comprehension. Once you understand what that speed is, try to read at it consistently. Do your best to push past it occasionally without losing comprehension. If you get to the end of a passage and you did not understand it, you should slow down until your comprehension is back to 100%.
Keep on practising pushing your speed while maintaining comprehension. With consistent, focused practise, you’ll be able to read faster without sacrificing understanding.
Conclusion
Recognise that increasing speed can reduce comprehension for the average reader. You can train to mitigate the loss of comprehension. Read faster and maintain your comprehension whenever possible.
You can use the software on Lexo or be intentional when reading physical texts to practise.