Google has sped up its internet search engine by launching a product called Instant that displays results as soon as users type in queries.

The service predicts a user’s query and modifies the displayed results as more letters are typed into the search box.

The company described it as “search at the speed of thought”.

Previously Google’s suggested search terms and did not reveal results until the “enter” key was hit or the “search” button was clicked.

Google Instant goes live in the next week and on mobile devices by autumn.

The service will initially be rolled out in the US, UK, Spain, Germany, France and Russia.