The average reading speed of a child in elementary school is around 200 words per minute (wpm). By the time we reach adulthood, it hasn’t gotten much better, as on average most adults read at a speed of between 200 and 250 words per minute. While comprehension at this rate is considered reasonable, at 250 words per minute it will be difficult to read large amounts of information in a short period of time.
Some people claim to read at speeds of 10,000 words per minute or even 25,000 words per minute and say that they can still understand everything they have read. Even though these exceptional people can achieve speeds like this, a speed of 1000 – 1200 words per minute is the speed at which contestants read in World Championship speed reading competitions. So if your average reading speed is close to this rate, you can consider yourself doing fantastically well. Don’t feel like you need to reach championship levels to achieve your learning and reading goals. It is up to each individual to decide how far to push the speed limits!
For someone interested in increasing their skills, a goal of 500 to 800 words per minute is an excellent goal. At this rate, it is possible to accomplish large amounts of work in a short time and maintain a comprehension level of around 75% or higher. This is an excellent level of understanding and probably more than adequate for any of your required purposes. Compare this to the average reading rate of adults (200 – 250 words per minute), where their comprehension level is only half or a little more than the material they have read.
800 – 1000 words per minute would be an outstanding achievement. To reach this level, a person may have invested in an excellent speed reading course and practiced speed drills. Believe it or not, the comprehension at this level is also outstanding, reaching levels of 100% or very close to 100%.
Results of 100 – 200 words per minute are considered a basic reading rate. In adult terms, this is below average speed, but for children between the ages of 6 and 12, it can be considered average. At this rate, only low levels of understanding are reached. An adult reading at this rate will be surprised at what some of the simple techniques will do for their reading speed. Reading at any rate below 100 wpm will likely be read by someone who is still learning to read or perhaps someone who is reading in a second or third language. At this rate, understanding will be difficult.
