Reading Speed Calculator
Your reading speed in words per minute, and how long a book, a reading list or a thesis will take at that pace.
Words per minute is words divided by minutes.
How the reading speed calculator works
Words per minute is words divided by minutes. The useful part is what it predicts: a 90,000-word book at 250 wpm is six hours, and a 400-page reading list is a different proposition at 200 wpm than at 400.
Speed also depends entirely on purpose. Skimming runs 400 to 700 wpm with poor recall; studying runs 100 to 200 with good recall. A single "reading speed" number is only meaningful alongside what you were doing.
Formula: wpm = words / minutes; time = total words / wpm
Worked examples
| Inputs | Reading speed (wpm) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200 words in five minutes | 240 | 240 wpm — typical |
| A study pace | 150 | 150 wpm |
| Skimming | 600 | 600 wpm |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is an average reading speed?
Around 200 to 250 words a minute for an adult reading for comprehension. University-level material is often slower.
Can I read faster without losing comprehension?
A little, mostly by removing subvocalisation and regression. Claims of 1,000 wpm with full comprehension do not survive testing.
Why include comprehension?
Because speed without it is not reading. The effective-speed row is the honest number: 600 wpm at 30% comprehension is worse than 200 at 90%.
How many words in a book?
A typical novel is 80,000 to 100,000; a non-fiction book 60,000 to 90,000. A page averages 250 to 300 words.
Should I speed-read a textbook?
For a first orientation pass, yes. For learning it, no — the material is dense precisely because it cannot be skimmed.
Where these figures come from
- Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language — How many words do we read per minute? — the 238 wpm silent reading rate, from 190 studies
- Office for Students — the regulator for English higher education
Last checked: September 2026. Reading and writing rates are from published meta-analyses, cited on the page.