Reading WPM Test

How the reading WPM test works

Press Start reading and an original passage of about 250 to 270 words appears. Read it at your normal pace, the way you would read an article, then press Done reading. The passage is hidden and three multiple choice questions check what you took in.

Your result shows your speed in words per minute, a label, the exact number of words and seconds, and your comprehension out of 3. Three passages rotate, so you can try again on a fresh text. Results are not stored.

WPM is simple arithmetic: the number of words divided by your reading time in minutes. Reading 260 words in one minute gives 260 WPM. Reading the same 260 words in 90 seconds gives about 173 WPM.

What your reading speed means

For a reference point beyond this site, a 2019 review of 190 studies by Marc Brysbaert estimated average silent reading speed for adults in English at about 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. Both figures sit inside the Average band here.

Why comprehension is part of the result

Anyone can push a WPM number up by skimming. The questions keep the result honest. With 3 of 3 correct, the speed is a fair picture of how you read. With 2 of 3, your understanding was good. With fewer, the speed does not tell you much, and the result suggests reading a little slower next time.

If you want a better number, aim for steady, focused reading rather than racing. Read the passage once, go back only when you lose the thread, and do not glance at the clock.

Reading WPM versus typing WPM

The two measures share a unit but not a skill. Reading WPM counts how many words you take in per minute. Typing WPM counts how many you produce on a keyboard. About 40 WPM is the commonly quoted adult typing average, far below the reading figures above, so most people read several times faster than they type.

To measure the other side, try the WPM test or the full typing test.