The to-be-read pile is a math problem. Fix the math.
You don’t have a book problem, you have a words-per-minute problem. At 230 WPM, an 80,000-word novel is six hours of your life. At 350 WPM it’s under four — same story, same comprehension, two extra evenings free.
BetterAt’s speed reading drill raises that number with a one-minute passage and a ten-question check, so the pace you build actually survives contact with a real book.
Free, no account needed to start.
The arithmetic of a TBR pile
- An hour a day at 230 WPM ≈ 14,000 words — one average novel every six days, about 12 books a year after life intervenes.
- An hour a day at 350 WPM ≈ 21,000 words — the same novel in four days. Same habit, 50% more books.
- The real lever isn’t finding more time to read — it’s making the time you already have go further.
How the drill helps
- Timed mode: read a fresh dense passage, tap done, answer ten questions. Get 8+ right and your WPM is recorded.
- Paced mode: pick a target WPM and let a moving highlight set your eye speed — the classic pacer technique, minus the finger on the page.
- Your best qualified WPM and daily streak live on your account. Watch the number climb, then feel it in the book you’re actually reading.
An honest caveat
Poetry, dense literary fiction, and books you want to savor don’t want speed — and shouldn’t get it. This is for the memoirs, histories, sci-fi epics and book-club picks where the story is the point and the pile is the enemy.
Frequently asked questions
How much faster do I need to read to double my books per year?
Less than you'd think. A typical novel is ~80,000 words: at 230 WPM that's about six hours of reading. At 350 WPM it's under four. If you read an hour a day, that gap alone is roughly 12 → 20 books a year — before counting the sessions where faster pace keeps you from stalling out.
Doesn't reading faster ruin the enjoyment?
It can if you brute-force it — skimming a novel you love is miserable. The sustainable version is a modestly higher comfortable pace with full comprehension, which is exactly what the drill measures: your WPM only counts when you pass the ten-question check.
Do I practice on the books I'm reading?
No — you practice on short generated passages, then carry the pace into whatever you're actually reading. Two-minute sessions, so it doesn't eat into book time.
What about paced mode?
Paced mode sweeps a highlight through the text at your target WPM — like a finger guiding your eyes. It's the fastest way to nudge your cruising speed up in 25-WPM steps.
Is it free?
Ten sessions a day are free, no account needed. A free account keeps your streak and best WPM history.
One passage, one minute, ten questions. You’ll have a real WPM number before you finish your coffee.
Measure your WPM