Reading aids / Speed
Reading Speed Test: Words per Minute and Comprehension
Test how fast you read: read one of the passages at your normal pace, answer three questions to check you understood it, and see your words per minute next to the average for adults. You can also time yourself on a text of your own.
Reading Speed Test: Words per Minute and Comprehension: Your speed is the number of words divided by the time you took: 300 words in 75 seconds is 240 words a minute. A meta-analysis of 190 studies puts the average adult's silent reading of English non-fiction at 238 words a minute and fiction at 260; Chinese and Japanese texts are counted in characters a minute. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Text tools
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- In your browser
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- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Read at your normal pace, as you would for understanding, not as fast as you can. The text appears when you press start; press done as soon as you finish the last word.
For English, a meta-analysis of 190 studies (Brysbaert, 2019) puts the average adult's silent reading speed at 238 words a minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction, with most people between 175 and 300. Speeds in other languages differ, and Chinese and Japanese are counted in characters.
Source
Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109, 104047.
How hard is a text?
To see how difficult a text is to read, check it with the readability checker.
How to use it
- Choose a passage, or paste your own text.
- Press start, read at your normal pace, and press done.
- Answer the questions and read your speed and score.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is measured in your browser.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Is faster reading always better?
No: above about 400 words a minute, comprehension usually drops, and what looks like reading is skimming; the questions show whether you kept the meaning.
Can I improve my reading speed?
Reading more, and widely, builds vocabulary and familiarity, which is what mainly makes reading faster; speed-reading tricks that skip words tend to cost understanding.
Why are my results different each time?
Familiarity with the topic, the difficulty of the text, tiredness, and knowing you are being timed all change the result; take the average of a few tries.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required