VITON13 SCHOOL · Reading
How fast do you read?
Read one short text at your normal pace, answer four questions, see your words per minute.
Choose a text
The text appears and the clock starts when you press Start. Read as you normally would.
How the test works
- Pick a textA story, an easy article or a harder one. Each takes about two minutes at an average pace.
- Read at your normal paceThe clock starts with the text and stops when you press “I've finished”. No rushing: this measures how you really read.
- Answer four questionsSpeed only counts if you understood. The result shows both, and an effective speed that combines them.
What is the average reading speed?
A review of 190 studies (Brysbaert, 2019) puts the average silent reading speed of adults in English at 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. Most adults fall between 175 and 300 words per minute for non-fiction. Reading aloud is slower, about 183.
The often-quoted 300 words per minute is too high for most people. Speed also depends on the text: longer words and unfamiliar topics slow everyone down, which is why the harder article will give you a lower number than the story.
Average reading speed: what the numbers mean and how to read faster →How to read faster without losing the meaning
There is a trade-off between speed and understanding: pushing far above your natural pace usually costs comprehension, and the large gains promised by speed-reading courses are not supported by research (Rayner and colleagues, 2016).
What reliably helps is reading more and building vocabulary, so fewer words make you pause. When you only need the gist, skim on purpose, and read slowly where details matter. Retake the test every few weeks and watch the effective speed, not words per minute alone.
Questions
What is a good reading speed?
For silent reading in English, 175 to 300 words per minute is the usual adult range; anything inside it with most answers right is good. Above about 450, understanding tends to fall.
How is words per minute calculated?
The number of words in the text divided by the minutes you spent reading it. A 400-word text read in 1 minute 40 seconds gives 240 words per minute.
What is effective speed?
Words per minute multiplied by the share of questions you answered correctly. 300 words per minute with 3 of 4 right gives an effective speed of 225.
Is my result saved?
Only your best result, and only in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere and no account is needed.