This article explains why rereading sentences happens, how it silently reduces reading speed, and the proven techniques InfiniteMind uses to break the cycle. By learning how to maintain forward momentum, strengthen focus, and trust comprehension, readers can read faster with greater clarity—without constantly going back over the same lines.
Quick Answers
How to speed read quickly
Speed reading quickly starts with improving fluency, not forcing speed. Read in phrases instead of single words, reduce subvocalization, and keep your eyes moving forward with steady pacing. Short daily practice trains the brain to process information faster while maintaining comprehension.
Top Takeaways
Rereading is usually a focus issue, not a comprehension problem.
Steady pacing helps eliminate backtracking.
Reading in phrases improves flow and confidence.
Short, consistent practice reduces rereading.
Speed increases naturally when forward momentum is maintained.
Why Rereading Sentences Slows Your Reading Speed
Rereading sentences is one of the most common habits that prevents readers from speed reading effectively. It isn’t caused by low ability or poor comprehension. In most cases, rereading happens when focus breaks, pacing is inconsistent, or the brain hesitates and second-guesses understanding. Each backward eye movement forces the brain to restart processing, which increases mental effort and slows reading.
Over time, this creates a cycle where slower reading leads to less confidence, and less confidence leads to even more rereading, making it harder to maintain optimism about progress.
What Triggers the Rereading Habit
Based on repeated patterns observed in InfiniteMind training, rereading is usually triggered by a few specific habits. Subvocalization often lags behind eye movement, causing the brain to feel “unfinished.” Inconsistent pacing across lines disrupts flow, and reading without a clear purpose makes it harder for the brain to stay engaged. When uncertainty appears, the brain defaults to rereading—even when comprehension is already sufficient.
How to Speed Read Quickly Without Rereading
The solution isn’t to force yourself to stop rereading. It’s to give your brain enough structure to feel safe moving forward. Using a visual guide helps prevent backward eye jumps. Reading in phrases instead of individual words improves flow. Setting a clear intention before each section gives the brain a reason to keep going.
These techniques stabilize attention and reduce the impulse to backtrack.
How to Practice and Maintain Comprehension
Effective practice is short and focused. Reading slightly faster than your comfort pace helps retrain pacing, while checking comprehension only at natural breaks builds trust in understanding as part of a 7 minute brain boost routine. Over time, the brain learns that rereading isn’t necessary to comprehend meaning.
“In our training at InfiniteMind, rereading almost never means the reader doesn’t understand—it means the brain doesn’t trust its own processing yet, a pattern we often see with reading with ADHD. Once we give readers consistent pacing and forward structure, rereading fades, confidence rises, and reading speed increases naturally.”
Essential Resources on How to Speed Read Quickly
InfiniteMind – Science-Backed Training for Real Reading Mastery
Train your brain, not just your eyes. InfiniteMind’s adaptive system uses neuroscience-based exercises to strengthen eye tracking, focus, and comprehension so you read faster and remember more—not just skim. Trusted by learners and professionals who want measurable improvement, not empty promises. Infinite Mind
https://infinitemind.io/best-free-speed-reading-app-practice-how-to-speed-read-quickly-online/
Oxford Summer Courses – Understand What Really Makes Reading Faster
Learn why speed reading works. This resource explains the cognitive foundations of faster reading, helping you build a strategy that enhances understanding along with speed.
https://oxfordsummercourses.com/articles/how-to-improve-reading-speed
Speed Reading Lounge – Step-By-Step Techniques That Stick
Move beyond gimmicks. This guide breaks down practical methods like pacing, eye movement control, and drills that help speed reading feel natural instead of forced.
https://www.speedreadinglounge.com/how-to-speed-read
Science of People – Evidence-Informed Speed Reading Strategies
Root your practice in science. This article highlights techniques backed by cognitive psychology and real research, helping you avoid myths and use methods that deliver results.
https://www.scienceofpeople.com/speed-read/
Bowdoin College Guide – Structured Academic Reading Techniques (PDF)
Academic-grade speed reading help. This downloadable guide offers structured methods such as skimming, scanning, and contextual reading that support faster, meaningful comprehension.
https://www.bowdoin.edu/baldwin-center/pdf/handout-speed-reading.pdf
Iris Reading – Improve Speed and Comprehension
Read faster without losing meaning. Iris Reading emphasizes techniques that not only increase pace but also strengthen retention and understanding—especially helpful for students and professionals.
https://irisreading.com/how-to-speed-read-for-increased-comprehension/
ReadingGenius – Neuroscience-Driven Reading Improvement
Make your brain your ally. ReadingGenius combines mindful strategies with brain-based techniques (like SQ3R and paced reading) that support both speed and comprehension over the long term.
https://www.readinggenius.com/improve-speed-reading-and-comprehension/
Each of these resources supports a key piece of the InfiniteMind approach: speed reading isn’t about rushing—it’s about training the mind to process information more efficiently and confidently.
Supporting Statistics
Research supports what we see consistently in InfiniteMind training: speed and comprehension improve together when fluency is addressed first.
Fluency creates a major speed gap
Adults with low fluency read at ~145 WPM.
More fluent readers average ~100 WPM faster.
This gap narrows as pacing stabilizes and rereading decreases.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education – adult reading fluency
Low literacy affects millions of U.S. adults
~43 million adults have low English literacy skills.
These readers often struggle with flow, focus, and synthesis.
In practice, better processing strategies—not intelligence—drive improvement.
Source: NCES – U.S. adult literacy levels
Fluency and comprehension are directly linked
44% of students showed reading disfluency in national studies.
Disfluency correlates with weaker comprehension outcomes.
When fluency improves, comprehension stabilizes.
Source: NICHD – reading fluency and comprehension
Together, these findings show that strengthening fluency and pacing benefits all types of reading, including reading fiction, by improving flow, focus, and comprehension as speed increases.
Final Thought & Opinion
Speed reading quickly—especially when rereading is common—is not about forcing speed. Research and hands-on training at InfiniteMind show rereading is usually a fluency and focus issue, not a comprehension problem.
What we see consistently in practice:
Rereading signals unstable pacing.
Forced speed increases frustration.
Confidence improves when forward momentum is restored.
Our perspective:
Stabilize pacing first.
Reduce mental friction.
Trust comprehension and keep moving forward.
Our opinion:
If speed reading feels forced, the method is wrong. When the brain is trained correctly, reading becomes calmer, clearer, and naturally faster.
Next Steps
Apply these actions to reduce rereading and build speed naturally.
Spot rereading triggers
Loss of focus, hesitation, or uneven pacing.Guide your eyes forward
Use a finger or visual guide to prevent backtracking.Read in phrases
Group words to improve flow and reduce mental narration.Practice briefly and daily
10–15 minutes. No sentence-by-sentence checking.Check comprehension at breaks
Pause after paragraphs or sections only.Track progress weekly
Measure speed, confidence, and ease.
These next steps offer a simple, skill-based reading approach that helps reduce rereading and build fluency, which can be especially valuable in addressing learning gaps tied to broader health dіspаrіtіеs affecting focus, processing speed, and comprehension.
FAQ on How to Speed Read Quickly
Q: Why does rereading happen when reading faster?
A:
Pacing breaks.
Confidence drops.
Flow becomes unstable.
Q: How do you stop rereading without losing comprehension?
A:
Stabilize eye movement.
Read in phrases.
Delay comprehension checks.
Q: Does speed reading hurt comprehension?
A:
Only when speed is forced.
Fluency-first methods protect understanding.
Q: How soon do results appear?
A:
Often within a few weeks.
Short, daily practice works best.
Q: Can anyone learn how to speed read quickly?
A:
Yes, with structure.
Consistent guidance makes the difference.
