What is the average reading speed in words per minute?

The average adult reads English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute, and fiction at about 260. Those are the averages from Marc Brysbaert's 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies with 18,573 participants ¹. Reading aloud is slower, at about 183 words per minute ². Treat these as adult benchmarks for English. A child, an older reader or someone reading in a second language will read more slowly on average ³.

Adults read non-fiction at about 238 words per minute

The 238 figure is for silent reading of non-fiction, and the same study puts fiction at 260 ¹. The study reports the two averages side by side, so a non-fiction book of the same word count will take longer to read than a novel.

Silent reading is also faster than conversation. Non-fiction reading at 238 words per minute is about 1.2 times the overall conversational rate of 196 ⁴. Conversation is counted with every pause, so the gap is partly a measurement choice. The speaking speed guide covers that difference in full.

Reading aloud is slower because each word has to be spoken

The oral rate of 183 words per minute comes from 77 studies with 5,965 participants ². Reading aloud has to produce every word, and the oral figure sits closer to the 196 words per minute of conversation ⁵ than to the 238 of silent reading ¹.

If you read aloud for a recording or a class, expect your pace to be below your silent rate, and plan the timing with the oral figure, not the silent one.

Averages hide children, older readers and second-language readers

Brysbaert reports that reading rates are lower for children, for older adults and for readers who use English as a second language ³. The abstract gives the direction of the differences but not group-level rates, so we do not quote a number for each group here.

This matters for anyone comparing themselves with the average. A slower rate for a child is a difference between groups in the averages, not a fault in the reader. For the school-age figures, see the question on how many words per minute a child should read by grade.

Speed-reading claims far above the average are not supported

Some programs promise several times the average, and the question of reading 900 words per minute comes up often. In a 2016 review of the research, Rayner and colleagues concluded that claims of reading at super speed with good comprehension are overstated and not in line with what research shows about how language is processed ⁶. The review separates skimming, which can be faster, from full comprehension. For the evidence on the 900 figure, see the question on whether you can really read 900 words per minute.

How to measure your own reading speed

Averages describe the studies, not your own reading. To measure yourself:

1. Pick a passage of plain prose you have not read before. Use non-fiction and fiction separately, since the averages differ.
2. Set a timer for two minutes and read silently at your normal pace.
3. Mark the last word you reached, then count the words from the start to that point. Divide by two to get words per minute.
4. Check comprehension with three questions about the passage. If you miss several, your speed is outrunning your understanding, and the faster number is not useful.

Compare your result with 238 ¹ for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. A result well below the average is common and not a fault. A result above it with good answers to the questions is a real gain.

For the other side of the comparison, see the question on the fastest speaking speed on record, and the question on how many words per minute for a voice-over or audiobook. The guide to how fast people speak puts reading, speaking and typing rates side by side, and the glossary entry on oral reading fluency explains the term used for reading aloud accurately and at speed.