📚 Reading Speed & Level Calculator
Find your WPM, reading level, and how long any book will take to finish
| Grade Level | Age Range | Avg WPM | WPM Range | Words/Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 6–7 yrs | 80 | 60–100 | 4,800 |
| Grade 2 | 7–8 yrs | 115 | 90–140 | 6,900 |
| Grade 3 | 8–9 yrs | 138 | 110–165 | 8,280 |
| Grade 4 | 9–10 yrs | 158 | 130–185 | 9,480 |
| Grade 5 | 10–11 yrs | 173 | 145–200 | 10,380 |
| Grade 6–8 | 11–14 yrs | 204 | 170–240 | 12,240 |
| Grade 9–12 | 14–18 yrs | 250 | 200–300 | 15,000 |
| College | 18–22 yrs | 300 | 250–400 | 18,000 |
| Adult (avg) | 22+ yrs | 238 | 200–300 | 14,280 |
| Professional | Any | 400 | 350–500 | 24,000 |
| Book Title | Word Count | At 200 WPM | At 300 WPM | At 500 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | 47,094 | 3.9 hrs | 2.6 hrs | 1.6 hrs |
| Harry Potter (Book 1) | 77,325 | 6.4 hrs | 4.3 hrs | 2.6 hrs |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 100,388 | 8.4 hrs | 5.6 hrs | 3.3 hrs |
| 1984 (Orwell) | 88,942 | 7.4 hrs | 4.9 hrs | 3.0 hrs |
| Pride and Prejudice | 122,189 | 10.2 hrs | 6.8 hrs | 4.1 hrs |
| Lord of the Rings | 455,125 | 37.9 hrs | 25.3 hrs | 15.2 hrs |
| War and Peace | 580,000 | 48.3 hrs | 32.2 hrs | 19.3 hrs |
| The Bible | 783,137 | 65.3 hrs | 43.5 hrs | 26.1 hrs |
| Avg Short Novel | 50,000 | 4.2 hrs | 2.8 hrs | 1.7 hrs |
| Avg Standard Novel | 80,000 | 6.7 hrs | 4.4 hrs | 2.7 hrs |
| Raw WPM | 100% Comp. | 90% Comp. | 80% Comp. | 70% Comp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 150 | 135 | 120 | 105 |
| 200 | 200 | 180 | 160 | 140 |
| 250 | 250 | 225 | 200 | 175 |
| 300 | 300 | 270 | 240 | 210 |
| 400 | 400 | 360 | 320 | 280 |
| 500 | 500 | 450 | 400 | 350 |
| 700 | 700 | 630 | 560 | 490 |
| 1000 | 1000 | 900 | 800 | 700 |
For the timed test, paste a clearly defined text block. This calculator counts all words separated by spaces. For a quick estimate, count words in 3 lines and multiply by total lines. Standard practice is to read silently without lip movement for best speed results.
Your effective WPM is your raw WPM multiplied by your comprehension percentage. A person reading at 500 WPM with only 60% comprehension has an effective rate of just 300 WPM — the same as someone reading at 300 WPM with full comprehension. Always balance speed with understanding.
The Reading Speed changes a lot between people. For adults, the typical speed falls between 200 and 300 words per minute. That lines up with the level that one expects of children in the sixth grade.
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Various tests point to 300 words per minute but others estimate it between 200 and 250. In 1998, a study showed that students, that read at their top speed, reach average about 308 words per minute.
How to Read Faster
In school, Reading Speed of 350 to 450 words per minute really is useful, because it gives more time for other things. Readers, that read quickly, can twice, three times or even four times beat the usual level. Some trained readers manage to beat 1 000 words per minute, while they fully understand the content.
For instance, one dedicated reader trained six to eight hours daily during a whole year and finally reached almost 1 041 words per minute during a four-hour session, without losing the context and details of the text.
Fast reading uses some different methods. One of them is chunking. Another consists in the decrease of the inner voice…
That internal sound, that we use when we read. Even so, even expert fast readers still use inner voice. They simply do it more quickly.
So, to read more quickly, one must boost that internal voice, not remove it fully. Programs to train taht come in many kinds, like books, videos, software and courses.
Practice is key. It is good to start with something simple, for instance a funny article or favorite book. With practice and step by step one can boost the move across the page, what helps too build the speed.
When one reads on a computer, it becomes simpler, if one changes the window to make the lines narrower.
A proper target is to improve by 10 to 20 percent the word count every month, while one keeps the understanding. When the understanding drops, better slow down until it again gets strong. Keeping 80 percent of understanding at Reading Level material is a solid goal.
Not all think, that fast reading works well. Some studies show, that courses about fast reading do not really increase the speed without hurting the understanding. Those, that promise more than 1 000 words per minute, commonly only teach skimming.
Fast reading helps to go past useless content and find the main ideas, but it does not always work for deep memory.
The Reading Speed depends also on the content. Known topics allow one to read more quickly. Thick or hard material naturally slows everything.
Reading for fun commonly feels faster than reading to learn, because learning needs more attention. Part of the pleasure in reading is thinking about that, what is said along the way. There is no needed minimum speed, however long, if it answers to thetarget, any speed is good.
