# How fast do you read?



## Gyarachu (Nov 23, 2013)

When I was small (elementary school age) I was an avid reader, but from the end of middle school through the end of high school I almost completely stopped reading for pleasure, as video games were an enticing alternative. Although I have since ended my gaming days (not saying responsible use of video games is bad), I feel like my lack of reading during those years severely hampered my optical agility. Right now I read at a little over 400 wpm, which is pretty mediocre compared to those in the literature field. Most book fiends I know are somewhere around twice that.

How fast do you read when reading for pleasure? Do you have any tips or tricks for increasing speed? Have you noticed an improvement the more you read?

I ask these things out of a self-conscious curiosity. I don't really plan on pursuing writing or related fields as a profession, but it's one of those things where I would like to know I could if I wanted to.


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## escorial (Nov 23, 2013)

when it's a good book I have to slow down in case I miss something..all depends on moods...all or nothink..


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## popsprocket (Nov 23, 2013)

400wpm is not slow. I've never met anyone who reads faster than I do and I do about 300wpm. I can't imagine being able to digest information while reading 800wpm. That's beyond ridiculous.


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## Gyarachu (Nov 23, 2013)

Hmm... I often hear about authors who read a book a day on top of their writing and other life obligations--and I'm talking like big epic fantasy stuff. I know several students in the English department at my college who can put me to shame and finish the same book in half the time, and still comprehend everything.

I just want to be superhuman like them!

:ChainGunSmiley:

Is that so much to ask?

Thinking about it, I know a heck of a lot of people who can outpace me, many who don't even read all that often. I've just always assumed I was mediocre.


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## Grape Juice Vampire (Nov 23, 2013)

I can't tell you the wpm, but I finish books the size of the Harry Potter books in just a few hours. Hard to believe i know, it was for my parents who would test me after I'd finish reading. Got tested in school too because a teacher thought i was trying to get out of reading. I think the reason I read so fast is because it's all i used to do when younger. If I could have, i would have lived in the library, now having my own money I buy as many books as i can.


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## popsprocket (Nov 23, 2013)

I once read the first four harry potter books in one day and still had time to spare.


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## Gyarachu (Nov 23, 2013)

Dang you two, that's impressive. At least I think so. I was quite young when I read those, so I have no idea how long they took me. I never did finish the series.


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## Bruno Spatola (Nov 23, 2013)

When I'm enjoying it, it takes a while. Perhaps a week for a 700 pager. I don't like to finish things that size in a day; I like to leave room for rumination, sleeping on things that have happened in the story. I take a more episodic approach these days and find I take more pleasure in it. Same with Hawking's books. Best stretched and wrung out in stages than full-on exposure (for me).  

When I'm reading something not to my taste but I feel I should finish, I speed up significantly, so it differs from book to book. I've read over 300 pages in one session before, that's my maximum.


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## Kevin (Nov 23, 2013)

Hmmm...well some of us like to suck on our candy, savoring it slowly, while others bite down and chew it to bits, wolfing and swallowing as quickly as possible, leaving large chunks with high percentages whole or barely tasted as they fly down their gullets. Had a Doberman like that: fastest dog in the West. Throw him a bone and *wocmpff* Never chewed anything. That's what I'm going to tell myself...not that I'm dumber or that my brain doesn't work as fast, but that I like to savor, like an epicurean, not a speed-eater.


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## FleshEater (Nov 23, 2013)

It takes me usually 3-5 days (3-4 hour sessions) to read a 300-450 page novel. A slower paced, 700 page novel, takes me months. I am an extremely slow reader, and don 't really care. Stephen King is also a slow reader, as admitted in On Writing. 

The fastest read was The Hot Zone. I read that in 1 1/2 days.


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## Gyarachu (Nov 23, 2013)

You know, I've often heard of On Writing, but never read it myself. Is it a recommended read?

Thanks for the responses guys!

:02.47-tranquillity:


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## FleshEater (Nov 23, 2013)

I would recommend it if you're interested in King on a personal level, or if you're looking for a down to earth book for tips on writing.


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## Gyarachu (Nov 23, 2013)

I have never read anything by him as I am not at all interested in horror, but I would like to read some of his less dark stuff some day. The writing tips I would welcome, though. I will look into it.


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## BobtailCon (Nov 24, 2013)

I read the Lord of The Rings Volume in a month, I don't know if that is fast or not though.....


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## Jeko (Nov 25, 2013)

If I knew how fast I read, I wouldn't be reading properly.


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## Sam (Nov 25, 2013)

I don't know the specific number, but I read approximately two decent-sized novels every week.


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## ppsage (Nov 25, 2013)

Way slower than I used to.


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## Gyarachu (Nov 25, 2013)

Cadence said:


> If I knew how fast I read, I wouldn't be reading properly.



Would you care to elaborate? I am a fan of yours, as it seems to me that you possess more wisdom than most people on this site (that's not an attack on everyone else!) and just most people I know in general, so I am sure this post is no exception. I am just curious to know exactly what it is you mean.

What _I_ mean isn't to do any joy-destroying hyper-analysis of your reading. Testing reading speed is a quick, simple, and not at all unpleasant thing. Set a timer for one minute (or several, it just requires division at the end) and try to read as you normally would, then count the words you read. Yes I know it's not going to be perfectly accurate, as the "pressure" might push you to read faster than normal, and I think most people will vary their speed depending on the intensity or amount of information given in the text, but it gives you a good general idea.

What's the point, you ask? I don't know, basic human curiosity I guess. I asked mainly because I have heard of these authors, and people I know, who blaze through books and still retain everything that I might at my relatively slow pace. I sort of got self conscious and was like "Do I read too slow to be a writer??" Obviously it's an irrational fear, but fear usually isn't all that rational, and so we need a good slap in the face.

So... do me a favor and slap me in the face!


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## Ariel (Dec 1, 2013)

It's a book, not a qualifying trial!  That said I read faster than anyone I know and I read about 350 wpm.  I don't think reading something quickly and not retaining that information is worthwhile.

- - - Updated - - -

It's a book, not a qualifying trial!  That said I read faster than anyone I know and I read about 350 wpm.  I don't think reading something quickly and not retaining that information is worthwhile.


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## Bruno Spatola (Dec 1, 2013)

With Shakespeare, I'm probably under 100 words per minute. Depends on the accessibility of the material. With mathematical and scientific books with lots of explanations and theories I bet I'm under 50 words per minute.

I can zip through Harry Potter because it's not even remotely challenging. That's not a negative.

- - - Updated - - -

With Shakespeare, I'm probably under 100 words per minute. Depends on the accessibility of the material. With mathematical and scientific books with lots of explanations and theories I bet I'm under 50 words per minute.

I can zip through Harry Potter because it's not even remotely challenging. That's not a negative.


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## Jeko (Dec 2, 2013)

> So... do me a favor and slap me in the face!



I'm a pacifist, I'm afraid. 

To be honest, I don't care how fast I read - it doesn't matter to me. I don't want to read faster or slower, and if I ever think about how fast I'm reading as I read I'm not fully focused on the text, so I'm not reading as I think I should. As for testing my reading speed, I would never get a properly representative answer. My reading speed slows down when things are less clear or more dense and speeds up when the opposite it true.


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## Morkonan (Dec 5, 2013)

I forget the fastest that a human being is physically capable to read, including the arc-seconds their eyes can cover and the number of words one can recognize per minute. But, I think that most people easily over-estimate how fast they can read. For instance, one can only take in around seven syllables in a glance. It is not physically possible to take in more than that - Your eye can't do it. Our focal area for reading is extremely small. Most "speed reader" advertisements are full of crap. They show people moving impossibly fast through a book, literally ripping through the pages, smearing light with their fingers... That's nuts. The human eye is just not capable of reading that fast. It just_ can't_ happen. 

There's a book I read, not long ago, that details what we know of the processing of language, especially print. I'll check my library and reference the specific section, when I get a chance.

For myself, I've been reading since I could hold a book. I'm not sure when I started, but it was before kindergarten. (My mother was a teacher.) I can read and comprehend what I have read with great speed. But, I'm not the fastest reader I know. That's not because of a lack of ability, but a lack of focus. I like to take time to "digest" what I'm reading, time to sit back and think about it. A friend of mine is the fastest reader regarding comprehension that I know of - He goes to the bookstore, sits down with a book and reads it in an hour. But, he's not faster than I am, just more able to hold his focus. (He's an intensely focused individual, in general.)


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## Jcash22 (Dec 10, 2013)

I'm not a fast reader. I like to go through the motions of the story. I don't know how people speed read and comprehend <shrugs>


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## tatygirl90 (Dec 10, 2013)

Well I don't know about words per min. but I read about 100 pages in an hour.


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## Breila (Dec 10, 2013)

It completely depends on the material. I am a YA librarian by profession and therefore read quite a bit of YA. I can knock most YA novels out in a relaxed afternoon of reading, and have been known to go through 2 or 3 a day.

The adult novels I read tend to be more dense (though not always) and I slow down to digest those.


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## JonEd (Dec 15, 2013)

About a hundred pages an hour I guess, it depends on what I'm reading. If I get really into a book I can read a lot faster, but if I'm really not interested in a specific part of a book (happened a few times in ASOIAF), then it can be marginally slower.


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## Elvenswordsman (Dec 15, 2013)

I don't remember counting since I was a kid, and at that time I was 15 pages in 15 minutes? But that was a good many years ago, and now I clear full textbooks (including notes) in a 12 hour sitting.


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## Gargh (Mar 7, 2014)

Old thread, I know, but what better place to share this little technological innovation, as showcased in this pretty decent article (a rarity in itself for t'internet)...

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027008...-reading-letting-you-scan-1000-words-a-minute 

A new application, 'Spritz', has been designed to help you read up to 1000 wpm. I have to say it is the first time I have been excited by the prospect of e-reading. The idea is loathsome for fiction, but can you imagine being able to study like this? That could be amazing!


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## Cran (Mar 7, 2014)

I read a lot, always have, especially on those days when I'm guesting at the Blue Gown Hotel.* I read as fast as the story or information will let me. I know there are natural speedsters, and even unnatural (trained) speedsters**, but after roughly 50 years in the slow lane, I'm content to cruise.   

_*The food's not much, and occasionally the room service gets a touch more personal than I'm in the mood for - maybe if they tried some wine and roses first, then who knows? 
**I have friends in the former group, and my father was one of the latter_


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## T.S.Bowman (Mar 8, 2014)

Gyarachu said:


> When I was small (elementary school age) I was an avid reader, but from the end of middle school through the end of high school I almost completely stopped reading for pleasure, as video games were an enticing alternative. Although I have since ended my gaming days (not saying responsible use of video games is bad), I feel like my lack of reading during those years severely hampered my optical agility. Right now I read at a little over 400 wpm, which is pretty mediocre compared to those in the literature field. Most book fiends I know are somewhere around twice that.
> 
> How fast do you read when reading for pleasure? Do you have any tips or tricks for increasing speed? Have you noticed an improvement the more you read?
> 
> I ask these things out of a self-conscious curiosity. I don't really plan on pursuing writing or related fields as a profession, but it's one of those things where I would like to know I could if I wanted to.



If I'm reading for the pure pleasure of it...I am not in a hurry. I have no idea how fast I read.


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## bookmasta (Mar 8, 2014)

At the speed of light. No, not really. Depending on the book, I can typically read one page per minute if its casual reading. So around 15,000 words an hour.


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## T.S.Bowman (Mar 8, 2014)

Gargh said:


> A new application, 'Spritz', has been designed to help you read up to 1000 wpm. !



That begs the question.

Why?

I just can't see anyone really being able to get _into_ an imaginary world if they are just blasting through the pages like that.


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## bookmasta (Mar 8, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> That begs the question.
> 
> Why?
> 
> I just can't see anyone really being able to get _into_ an imaginary world if they are just blasting through the pages like that.



Wish I could read that fast while doing my editing.


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## T.S.Bowman (Mar 8, 2014)

bookmasta said:


> Wish I could read that fast while doing my editing.



Hah! Now that one, I'll give ya. LOL


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## Teak (Mar 8, 2014)

I used to read very quickly. I finished 3 Harry Potter books over the course of a day when I was 16 or so. Now I'm a slow reader, mostly because I get distracted very easily now.


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## Riptide (Mar 9, 2014)

I read pretty fast. Everyone says so. What I do is that while I quickly skim through a piece of work, I'm making sense of it while I'm on another part. So I kinda memorize it and am rereading it while I'm still reading the new part. If something strikes me as odd I'll reread it slower, and go back, making sense of the order of events. I have a pretty good memory


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## Grizzly (Mar 9, 2014)

I used to be a super fast reader, but of late I've slowed down a lot. I like how the words sound so often I read out loud and repeat phrases I like. I get a lot of crap for reading slow. It's lame.


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