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Reading speed test

Honest WPM. Pick a passage, time yourself reading at your normal pace, answer 3 comprehension questions. The score includes comprehension — speed without understanding doesn't count.

What's a "normal" reading speed?

Average adult silent reading speed is about 238 words per minute for non-fiction (Brysbaert, 2019 meta-analysis of 190 reading studies, n>17,000). Most adults fall between 175 and 300 WPM at normal comprehension. Reading rate scales inversely with difficulty — academic text at the same WPM as a magazine article means you're skipping comprehension.

Bands roughly:

• Below 150 WPM: Slower than average. Often correlated with dyslexia, second-language reading, or fatigue.
• 150–250 WPM: Typical adult range for normal-comprehension reading.
• 250–350 WPM: Faster than average. Skilled readers on familiar material.
• 350+ WPM: Usually skimming rather than reading. Real comprehension at these speeds is rare.

Speed reading courses often claim 600-1000 WPM with full comprehension. The independent research consistently finds these claims don't replicate — the comprehension drops sharply above ~400 WPM for unfamiliar material. RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) can push higher speeds temporarily by eliminating eye-movement, but as a drill, not as comfortable daily reading.

Why ADHD readers especially benefit from knowing their WPM

Two reasons. First, if you suspect you're a slow reader, you might actually be average — and the perception of slowness is part of what makes reading feel exhausting. Knowing the real number reframes the problem. Second, knowing your WPM lets the reading time calculator give you accurate estimates for any text — which is the difference between "this is finishable" and "this is overwhelming."

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