The average adult reads English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute (WPM) and fiction at about 260 WPM. Reading aloud is slower, at about 183 WPM. Those figures come from a 2019 review by psychologist Marc Brysbaert, which pooled 190 studies with nearly 18,000 participants, and they are lower than the 300 WPM often quoted online. Below you will find what counts as slow, average and fast, typical speeds for children by school grade, why speed-reading claims rarely hold up, and how to measure your own speed in a way that counts comprehension. Try our reading speed test for a quick baseline.
The ranges cover most readers. Speed also changes with the material: you will read a familiar novel faster than a contract, a textbook or anything in your second language. A fair comparison is always the same kind of text.
| Type of reading | Average WPM | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Silent, non-fiction | 238 | 175 to 300 |
| Silent, fiction | 260 | 200 to 320 |
| Reading aloud | 183 | 145 to 220 |
The key phrase is "with good comprehension". A score of 450 WPM means little if you can only answer half of the questions afterwards. That is why our reading speed test asks three questions and adjusts your WPM for how many you get right.
| WPM | Level |
|---|---|
| Under 175 | Slower than average |
| 175 to 300 | Average |
| 300 to 400 | Fast |
| Over 400 | Very fast; usually skimming at least some of the text |
Schools usually measure young readers' oral reading fluency: words read aloud correctly in one minute. The widely used Hasbrouck and Tindal norms (2017) give these middle-of-the-class (50th percentile) spring scores:
Silent reading overtakes reading aloud during the later primary years, and by secondary school most students read silently faster than they can speak. If a child reads aloud well below these figures, the usual advice is practice with easy, enjoyable books rather than pushing for speed.
| Grade | Words correct per minute |
|---|---|
| 1 | 60 |
| 2 | 100 |
| 3 | 112 |
| 4 | 133 |
| 5 | 146 |
| 6 | 146 |
Claims of 1,000 WPM or more with full understanding do not survive testing. A 2016 review led by cognitive scientist Keith Rayner concluded that there is a real trade-off between speed and comprehension: the eye can only take in a few letters sharply at each fixation, and the language system needs time to build meaning. Techniques that promise huge gains mostly teach skimming, which is useful when you only need the gist but not when you need the details.
Skimming is a real skill. Reading headings, first sentences and key words is a sensible way to triage a long report.
Subvocalising is normal. Hearing the words in your head is part of how fluent readers understand; trying to suppress it usually costs comprehension.
Vocabulary and background knowledge help most. The more familiar the words and topic, the fewer times your eyes jump back.
Pick a passage of at least 300 words in a style you normally read.
Time yourself reading it at your normal pace, not racing.
Divide the word count by the minutes taken: 600 words in 2.5 minutes is 240 WPM.
Without looking back, answer a few questions or write a two-line summary.
If you missed the main points, your comfortable speed is lower than the timer says.
To estimate how long a piece of writing will take to read, use the reading time calculator, which uses the adult averages above.
Read more, and more widely. Volume builds vocabulary, and known words are recognised faster.
Preview before reading. Look at headings and the conclusion first so you know what to look for.
Reduce re-reading. Use a finger or card under the line to keep your place if your eyes drift back.
Read when alert. Speed and recall both drop when you are tired; see sleep and memory.
Train attention. Short focus exercises such as the Stroop test and visual search help you stay on the page.
About 238 words per minute for adults reading non-fiction silently, about 260 for fiction, and about 183 when reading aloud.
Yes. 300 WPM with good comprehension is faster than average for silent reading of non-fiction.
A typical paperback page holds 250 to 300 words, so at 238 to 260 WPM the average adult reads about 50 to 60 pages an hour.
Around grade 4 or 5, the middle of the class reads aloud about 133 to 146 words correct per minute in spring, and silent reading is usually similar or a little faster.
Not with full comprehension. Research reviews find a firm trade-off between speed and understanding; very high speeds are skimming.
Most adults read 175 to 300 WPM silently, with 238 WPM the average for non-fiction. Measure your speed on normal text and always check comprehension alongside it. Take the free reading speed test for a comprehension-adjusted score, then retest in a month.