The Numbers
Reading speed is measured in words per minute (WPM). Here are the broadly accepted averages by age and group:
| Group | Average WPM | Range |
|---|---|---|
| First-grade child (6–7 years) | 80 wpm | 60–90 |
| Third-grade (8–9 years) | 115 wpm | 90–130 |
| Fifth-grade (10–11 years) | 170 wpm | 140–200 |
| Average adult | 238 wpm | 200–300 |
| College student | 300 wpm | 250–350 |
| Avid adult reader | 350–400 wpm | – |
| Speed reader (trained) | 600–1,000+ wpm | – |
| Audiobook standard speed | 150–160 wpm | – |
| Audiobook at 1.5× speed | 225–240 wpm | – |
What Affects Reading Speed
Vocabulary and familiarity with the subject. You read topics you know faster because you spend less time decoding unfamiliar words and concepts. An experienced programmer reads a technical manual faster than a non-programmer, regardless of raw reading speed.
Text difficulty. Dense academic prose, legal text, or poetry slows even fast readers considerably. Light fiction reads at a reader's top natural speed.
Subvocalisation. Most people "hear" words internally as they read. This inner voice limits reading speed to roughly speaking speed (~120–200 wpm). Reducing subvocalisation is the main mechanism claimed by speed reading courses.
Eye movement patterns. Skilled readers take in groups of words per fixation; less skilled readers fixate on individual words. Training can expand the number of words per fixation.
Reading medium. On-screen reading is typically 20–30% slower than print for most people, partly due to scrolling, partly due to screen brightness and typography quality.
How to Measure Your Reading Speed
- Take a passage of known word count
- Read it at your normal comfortable pace, with comprehension
- Divide word count by time in minutes
Example: 500 words read in 2 minutes = 250 wpm.
The Reading Speed Calculator on this site generates a timed passage, counts the words, and calculates your WPM automatically.
Speed Reading: Realistic Expectations
Speed reading programs (Spreeder, Iris Reading, Spritz) claim to dramatically increase reading speed. The research consensus is more measured:
What works:
- Reducing regression (re-reading the same text) – a genuine inefficiency
- Reducing subvocalisation to some extent
- Expanding perceptual span (words per fixation)
The trade-off:
- Comprehension decreases significantly as speed increases above ~400 wpm for complex material
- Reading at 700+ wpm means skimming – identifying key words, not processing full sentences
- For pleasure reading, comprehension and absorption matter as much as speed
A trained reader who goes from 250 wpm to 400 wpm with maintained comprehension has achieved a genuine improvement. A claimed jump to 1,000 wpm invariably comes at the cost of comprehension.
The honest advice: improving comprehension (vocabulary, active reading strategies, familiarity with subject matter) provides more durable benefit than chasing wpm alone.
Reading Speed and Book Consumption
Knowing your WPM lets you estimate reading time for any book:
Estimated reading time = Word count / WPM / 60 (for hours)
Average novel (90,000 words) at 250 wpm: 90,000 / 250 = 360 minutes = 6 hours.
Many e-readers show estimated reading time per chapter – they use a similar calculation calibrated to your actual reading pace as you go.
How Reading Speed Varies Within a Reading Session
Reading speed typically declines over a session as attention and cognitive fatigue accumulate. Most people read 15–20% faster in the first 30 minutes than after 90 minutes. Short, regular reading sessions often produce better comprehension than long marathon sessions.
Summary
The average adult reads at 238 wpm. Speed varies with vocabulary, subject familiarity, text difficulty, and medium. Speed reading techniques can push past 400 wpm but involve comprehension trade-offs above that level. For most purposes, improving comprehension and reading regularly produces more value than training pure speed.