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What's the average words per minute (wpm) for a good reader?

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Kssio_Aug

Kssio_Aug

Member
Some people say they read 500~1000 words per minute. Me? I read at about 150~200, and I'm reading books every day for the past 10 months (read some before, but not nearly as frequent). I like to understand every line, to comprehend everything the book is telling, not just having a "general idea" of what every page / chapter / line says.

I wonder if that's really possible to improve my reading skills to something like 300~500, without losing comprehension. Or maybe, who knows, even increasing my reading comprehension as well as reading faster.

At this thread I see that some users read an crazy amount of books per month, and I wonder if some of them really comprehend what the books are telling (not just an idea, but substantially understanding as an average person reading in a normal speed would), besides I'm pretty sure many are counting audio-books as well.

So, in your experience (if you enjoy reading) what's your opinion about this stuff, and how efficiently (speed + comprehension) do you read?
 
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pax217

Member
I am right around 250-300 wpm; but I also think I read very slowly because I almost exclusively read non-fiction (and therefore am considering/pondering what I'm reading rather than ingesting a storyline, eager to get to the next page to see what happens, etc.)

It also depends on what I read. I'm much, much slower at reading academic publications than I am a book published for the general public.
 
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weemadarthur

Member
There's nothing wrong with leisurely reading. But those reading 1000 wpm do not necessarily have lower reading comprehension or ability to remember long term.

This can be worked on with practice, but if you don't really find value in it, it's unlikely to take. Speed reading practice is quite difficult imo.
 
Kssio_Aug

Kssio_Aug

Member
weemadarthur said:
There's nothing wrong with leisurely reading. But those reading 1000 wpm do not necessarily have lower reading comprehension or ability to remember long term.

This can be worked on with practice, but if you don't really find value in it, it's unlikely to take. Speed reading practice is quite difficult imo.
Click to expand...

Actually, the main reason I'm searching about it is because lately I'm studying A LOT, as well as working in a full time job. I wish I could read faster and more efficiently so I could learn more during the time I have to study.
 
G

Gege

Neo Member
Kinda depends how dense the material is, too, honestly. English isn't my first language and I read at about 200~300 wpm depending on what it is.
But my best friend barely has to look at something to have read it.
Imo wpm probably has a lot to do with how much you read as a child, your basis for the information, how much you care, etc.
Interesting topic, though. I've been trying to up my reading game too lately lmao.
 
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weemadarthur

Member
Well it took me years to up my reading speed, so 10 months may simply be insufficient time to get up there. I'm probably one of those people you wonder about, despite not joining this year's thread. My comprehension level was measurably high.

I didn't work on it much, but 10 years of heavy reading at what's considered college level will get the practice in even without extra special training. The speed reading training I did briefly was a short unit in social studies or something.

Part of the training involves making sure you don't have a voice in your head reading the words to you, because speaking is so much slower than reading. Also taking in the first and last parts of sentences or paragraphs, then letting the eye scan the middle. For fiction pleasure reading, it can be much more motivating to picture the environment and happenings. But certain non fiction does lend itself to speed reading.
 
K

Koren

Member
Kssio_Aug said:
Actually, the main reason I'm searching about it is because lately I'm studying A LOT, as well as working in a full time job. I wish I could read faster and more efficiently so I could learn more during the time I have to study.
Click to expand...
I can read well over 600wpm, IIRC (haven't measured it recently, maybe I should), but that heavily depends on the material.

But I'm not sure reading speed will help that much in studying. Most of the time, your reading speed will decrease because there's a higher brain "load" (?) involved in processing the information.
 
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Matty77

Member
Never counted the amount of words but I read fast and always have. And I don't lose comprehension but at the same time my normal speed is fast, I'm not "trying" to be fast. If I did I could probably read a couple books a day but I doubt I would remember anything about it.

I think that's the key. It doesn't matter how fast you read if it's your normal speed whether natural or through practice you should be good. But once you consciously try reading faster you will run into issues.
 
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Pau

Member
When I read fiction or for leisure it can range from 200 - 400 wpm depending on how it's written. But I enjoy reading with subvocalization. I feel like I'd lose a lot of the style and rhythm without it.

Reading a lot of books has more to do with consistency than reading speed I think.
 
Kssio_Aug

Kssio_Aug

Member
weemadarthur said:
Well it took me years to up my reading speed, so 10 months may simply be insufficient time to get up there. I'm probably one of those people you wonder about, despite not joining this year's thread. My comprehension level was measurably high.

I didn't work on it much, but 10 years of heavy reading at what's considered college level will get the practice in even without extra special training. The speed reading training I did briefly was a short unit in social studies or something.

Part of the training involves making sure you don't have a voice in your head reading the words to you, because speaking is so much slower than reading. Also taking in the first and last parts of sentences or paragraphs, then letting the eye scan the middle. For fiction pleasure reading, it can be much more motivating to picture the environment and happenings. But certain non fiction does lend itself to speed reading.
Click to expand...

Yeah, i've read a bit about those training techniques, however trying to read without subvocalize feels impossible to me! lol It feels like just staring at meaningless words.

However I've been noticing that reading a bit faster (constantly moving horizontally a pen or my finger to keep it regular and avoid regression) is helping me to concentrate at what I'm reading substantially more than reading slower.
 
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marimorimo

Member
No idea about averages but I used to be a super fast reader ( at the 99th percentile at reading on a national exam despite finishing the super-long test 20 minutes earlier than anyone. ) I could also cram entire books for an upcoming exam. I read voraciously as a child and it must have been a product of my impatience. But then I tried to slow down about 5 years ago. It was tough at first, because I was so used to scanning the page and getting the gist as quickly as possible. I had to step on the brakes consistently and force myself to reread paragraphs. But it paid off, because while I might have been able to get all the necessary info to understand the content while speed-reading, I was missing a lot of nuance and emotion. I also enjoyed what I was reading more, particularly novels.

Fortunately my speed-reading skills still remained so I can still speed-scan a page if needed. I surprised myself just the other day doing exactly that, and in another language too (currently learning French). We had a contest in class who could answer the most questions about an excerpt the quickest and I got the right answers 5 minutes ahead of anyone.
 
M

Malyse

Member
Personally, I read at what I can only assume to be a very fast speed and I appreciate it, cause it allows me to chip away at my massive book backlog. I don't know about WPM, but I currently read about 5 hours a day and that finishes around three 350 page books.

I really need to not buy books for a while.
 
DietRob

DietRob

i've been begging for over 5 years.
I feel like I read very slowly. The little timer on my kindle that says X hours until end of the book is always way off and takes me much longer.

Is there some sort of online test for us to test our reading speed and post ITT?
 
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weemadarthur

Member
Kssio_Aug said:
Yeah, i've read a bit about those training techniques, however trying to read without subvocalize feels impossible to me! lol It feels like just staring at meaningless words.

However I've been noticing that reading a bit faster (constantly moving horizontally a pen or my finger to keep it regular and avoid regression) is helping me to concentrate at what I'm reading substantially more than reading slower.
Click to expand...

You're on your way.

I am summing up things I haven't thought about in decades. I'm amazed that the bits I remember are still being taught. XD

My normal no effort reading speed by that site posted there is apparently about 500 wpm.
 
S

Speevy

Banned
i have that thing where your brain skips all over the page so I'm a slower reader, but that also makes me a better teacher.
 
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marimorimo

Member
372 at 82%. Not bad. I was reading at "slow speed" (my default speed now instead of speed-scanning) because the text contained numbers to recall and I'm a friggin dunce once numbers are thrown into the picture. If there weren't any numbers I'm sure my speed would have been faster.
 
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rocksteady1983

Member
376 @ 82%

There is an app called acceleread that is fantastic for those wanting to increase both wpm and comprehension. I used to be below 200 and like 60%, used it for a while and was over 600 at 90%. Haven't practiced in a while obviously lol. One of the main things that slows a reader down is saying/speaking the words internally as you read them.
 
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Grenouille

Member
Yeah, I have the same problem. Now I'm reading a book that is over 1000 pages long (The Stand) and although it's decent enough I just wish it wouldn't take me months to finish.
 
Kssio_Aug

Kssio_Aug

Member
rocksteady1983 said:
376 @ 82%

There is an app called acceleread that is fantastic for those wanting to increase both wpm and comprehension. I used to be below 200 and like 60%, used it for a while and was over 600 at 90%. Haven't practiced in a while obviously lol. One of the main things that slows a reader down is saying/speaking the words internally as you read them.
Click to expand...

Just searched about the app. Only available for iPhone apparently! =(

Any recommendation for Android users?
 
B

Breads

Banned
312/82%

Depending on the complexity of the language or my level of interest my comprehension goes up or way down though.

I need to squint and blow letters up though. Reading from a screen is not ideal for me.

I've never consciously tried to improve my reading, comprehension, or typing though. As a lark I learned that I type at 75-85 words per minute so maybe I can improve there.

Maybe I found a new hobby?!?
 
K

kswiston

Member
I'm not a huge fan of simple speed reading test results as they pertain to reading in other situations. I can finish the speed reading passage posted here at over 650 WPM, with 100% "retention" on a multiple choice test administered a 30 seconds later. However, I am not going to remember any of that stuff a week from now, and I know my actual reading speed is maybe 1/3 of that on novels (where I do have good retention). When I was doing university course work, I was lucky to finish 15 textbook pages an hour.
 
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