ArticleAudioFree reading speed test
Reading Speed Test: Check Your WPM and Listening Speed
Read a short passage, answer three questions, and get your words per minute. Then find out how fast you can follow a natural voice reading to you.
Choose a passage
About 1–2 minutes · 3 questions
- 1.Read at your normal pace, the way you would for school or work.
- 2.Press Done the moment you finish the last sentence.
- 3.Answer three questions without looking back.
The timer starts when the passage appears.
Listen at your speed
Turn any page into audio at your listening speed
ArticleAudio reads web pages, PDFs, and ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini replies aloud in natural voices, from 0.5× to 2.5×. Use the speed you found here and get through your reading list hands-free.
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What is a good reading speed?
The average adult reads about 238 words per minute silently. That is lower than the 300 WPM figure often quoted. It comes from a 2019 review of 190 reading studies with 18,573 participants.
Adults
Average words per minute in English
| Silent reading, fiction | 260 |
|---|---|
| Silent reading, non-fiction | 238 |
| Reading aloud | 183 |
| The voice in this test, at 1× | 184 |
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.
Students, grades 1–6
Words read aloud correctly per minute, median student, end of the school year
| Grade 1 | 60 |
|---|---|
| Grade 2 | 100 |
| Grade 3 | 112 |
| Grade 4 | 133 |
| Grade 5 | 146 |
| Grade 6 | 146 |
Source: Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) oral reading fluency norms, University of Oregon. These measure reading aloud, which is slower than silent reading.
How this reading speed test works
Words per minute
The test counts the words in your passage and divides by the time between the passage appearing and you pressing Done. A 308-word passage read in 1 minute 20 seconds is about 231 WPM.
Comprehension
Three questions check that you understood what you read. A fast time with most answers wrong usually means skimming, and the result says so.
Effective speed
Your words per minute multiplied by the share of questions you got right. 240 WPM with 2 of 3 right gives an effective speed of 160 WPM.
Listening speed
The voice in this test reads 184 words per minute at 1×. Your listening speed is that rate times the fastest speed you can follow: at 2× it is about 368 WPM.
Reading speed test FAQ
What is the average reading speed?
For adults reading silently in English, about 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. Reading aloud, the average is about 183 words per minute. These figures come from Marc Brysbaert’s 2019 review of 190 studies with 18,573 participants.
How do you calculate reading speed?
Divide the number of words you read by the minutes it took. A 308-word passage read in 1 minute 20 seconds is 308 ÷ 1.33, or about 231 words per minute. This test times you automatically and checks comprehension with three questions.
What is a good reading speed for students?
It depends on the grade. Hasbrouck and Tindal’s 2017 norms put the median student at 112 words per minute read aloud by the end of grade 3, and 146 by the end of grades 5 and 6. Adults reading silently average about 238 words per minute for non-fiction.
Is listening faster than reading?
At normal speed, usually not. The voice in this test speaks about 184 words per minute at 1×, below the 238 words per minute adults average when reading non-fiction silently. Sped up, listening catches up: at 1.5× the same voice reaches about 276 words per minute. The listening step of this test finds the fastest speed you can follow.
Why does the test ask questions?
Speed without understanding isn’t reading. The questions show whether you took the passage in. Your effective speed is your words per minute multiplied by the share of questions you got right.
Can I take the reading speed test again?
Yes. There are three passages: easy, standard and advanced. Pick one you haven’t read yet, because rereading the same text makes you faster.