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Speed Reader

madhusudan-kulkarnimadhusudan-kulkarni1k downloads

RSVP-based speed reading for your notes - flash one word at a time with optimal recognition point highlighting.

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  • Updates5

Read long Obsidian notes faster without losing focus.

Speed Reader uses RSVP (rapid serial visual presentation) to turn your notes into a focused word-by-word reading flow, so you can move through dense writing, saved articles, drafts, and study notes with less eye movement and fewer distractions.

demo

Why Speed Reader?

Long notes are easy to skim badly and hard to read deeply. Speed Reader helps you stay locked on one word at a time, control your pace, and finish notes without constantly losing your place.

Use it when you want to:

  • Get through long notes faster
  • Review research or study material
  • Read drafts without visual clutter
  • Stay focused when your attention keeps jumping
  • Read selected passages without leaving Obsidian

Features

  • Word-by-word reading — Read in a focused RSVP view instead of scanning full paragraphs.
  • Optimal recognition point highlighting — Highlights the key letter in each word to help your eyes recognize words faster.
  • Markdown-aware cleanup — Removes formatting noise like links, bold text, code, frontmatter, and comments before reading.
  • Natural pacing — Adds small pauses at punctuation, numbers, and longer words so the flow feels less robotic.
  • Live speed control — Change WPM, skip forward or backward, and jump between sections while reading.
  • Focus mode — Hide controls and keep only the current word on screen.
  • Selection support — Read selected text, or start from the whole note.

How it works

  1. Open a note in Obsidian.
  2. Select text, or leave nothing selected to read the full note.
  3. Run Speed Reader: Start speed reading.
  4. Press Space to start, pause, or resume.

Keyboard shortcuts

Key Action
Space Play / pause
← / → Skip 10 words
↑ / ↓ Change speed by 25 WPM
F Toggle focus mode
Esc Close reader

Install

From Community Plugins

Open Settings → Community plugins → Browse, search for Speed Reader, then install and enable it.

Manual install

Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release, then place them in:

<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/speed-reader/

Good for

  • Students reviewing notes
  • Writers reading drafts
  • Researchers going through saved material
  • Anyone who wants a calmer way to read inside Obsidian

License

0-BSD

94%
HealthExcellent
ReviewPassed
About
Speed-read notes with RSVP by flashing one word at a time and highlighting the optimal recognition point (ORP) to improve focus and recognition. Adjust WPM live, use smart pauses at punctuation and long words, jump with a clickable progress bar, and limit reading to selections or focus mode.
VisualizationInterfaceHotkeys
Details
Current version
1.2.2
Last updated
Last week
Created
4 months ago
Updates
5 releases
Downloads
1k
Compatible with
Obsidian 0.15.0+
Platforms
Desktop, Mobile
License
0BSD
Report bugRequest featureReport plugin
Author
madhusudan-kulkarnimadhusudan-kulkarni
github.com/madhusudan-kulkarni
GitHubmadhusudan-kulkarni
  1. Community
  2. Plugins
  3. Visualization
  4. Speed Reader

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