Fact · Typing and writing speed
200 to 250milliseconds
Brysbaert reports Seidenberg's rough estimate that fixation durations in reading average around 200 to 250 milliseconds, or 4 to 5 per second.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Fixation durations average around 200 to 250 milliseconds (4 to 5 per second)”
How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate, Marc Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language, 2019, Section on eye movement research, bulleted rough estimates.
Open the original (DOI 10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047)- What it measures
- A fixation is the short pause the eyes make on the text, during which information is taken in before the eyes move on.
- What it does not show
- A rough estimate from a textbook-style summary, not a measurement in a single study. Fixation length varies with the reader, the text and its difficulty.