The average adult reads non-fiction silently at 238 words per minute (Brysbaert, 2019). This page collects 34 verified statistics on reading speed, habits and literacy, each linked to its primary source.
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Last reviewed 18 July 2026.
2,167 hours at 238 WPM
The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (339 books referenced across Gilmore Girls) would take about 2,167 hours to complete at the average adult reading speed of 238 WPM.
90,000 words / 238 WPM = ~6h18m; 90,000 words / 400 WPM = 3h45m
At the average adult silent reading speed (238 WPM), a typical 90,000-word novel takes about 6 hours 18 minutes to finish. At a well-trained 400 WPM, the same novel takes about 3 hours 45 minutes.
30 min/day x 365 days = ~29.0 books/year
Reading 30 minutes a day at the average adult pace works out to about 29 books a year.
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The average adult silently reads non-fiction prose at 238 words per minute.
Source: Brysbaert, M. (2019), Journal of Memory and Language, 2019
Link to this statThe average adult silently reads fiction at 260 words per minute, faster than non-fiction because fiction uses shorter, more familiar words.
Source: Brysbaert, M. (2019), Journal of Memory and Language, 2019
Link to this statReading aloud is markedly slower than silent reading, averaging 183 words per minute.
Source: Brysbaert, M. (2019), Journal of Memory and Language, 2019
Link to this statCollege-educated adults considered good readers typically read at 200 to 400 words per minute under normal conditions.
Source: Rayner et al. (2016), Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016
Link to this statIt is unlikely readers can double or triple their reading speed (for example from around 250 to 500-750 WPM) while understanding the text as well as at normal speed; speed-reading gains come at the cost of comprehension.
Source: Rayner et al. (2016), Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016
Link to this statSome speed-reading promoters have claimed reading rates as extreme as 4,200 WPM (Anne Jones, World Speed Reading Champion) or up to 30,000 WPM (Howard Berg); researchers regard such claims as incompatible with genuine comprehension.
Source: Rayner et al. (2016), Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016
Link to this statRapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) apps that flash words at speed cause comprehension to drop by about 50% when the presentation rate is increased.
Source: Rayner et al. (2016), Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016
Link to this statSkimming a text under time pressure can lead to better recall of a text's main points than reading only part of the text carefully at normal speed in the same amount of time.
Source: Duggan & Payne (2009), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2009
Link to this statBy spring of Grade 1, the median (50th percentile) US student reads aloud 60 words correct per minute.
Source: Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017), Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon, 2017
Link to this statBy spring of Grade 4, the median US student reads aloud roughly 133 words correct per minute.
Source: Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017), Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon, 2017
Link to this statBy spring of Grade 6, the median US student reads aloud roughly 146 words correct per minute, approaching adult oral reading speed.
Source: Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017), Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon, 2017
Link to this stat9-year-olds' average NAEP reading scores rose between 2022 and 2025, recovering some pandemic-era learning loss, while 13-year-olds showed no significant change over the same period.
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Nation's Report Card, 2025
Link to this statOnly 14% of 13-year-olds report reading for fun on a daily basis, down from 35% in 1984.
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Nation's Report Card, 2025
Link to this statAmericans aged 15 and up spend an average of about 17 minutes a day reading for personal interest.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, 2024
Link to this statThe share of Americans who are 'intensive readers' (more than 20 minutes of reading for pleasure a day) fell from 22.3% in 2003 to 14.6% in 2023.
Source: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Humanities Indicators (ATUS analysis), 2023
Link to this stat75% of US adults say they have read all or part of at least one book (in any format) in the past 12 months.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2025
Link to this stat25% of US adults read no books at all in the past 12 months.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2025
Link to this statAmericans reported reading an average of 12.6 books in 2021, the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since it began asking the question in 1990, down from 15.6 books in 2016.
Source: Gallup, 2022
Link to this stat58% of Americans aged 18+ have listened to an audiobook, roughly 157 million people, and listeners consumed an average of 3.8 audiobooks in the past year.
Source: Audio Publishers Association, 2026
Link to this stat50% of UK adults do not read regularly, down from 58% who said they read regularly for pleasure in 2015.
Source: The Reading Agency, 'The State of the Nation's Adult Reading: 2024 Report', 2024
Link to this statAlmost one in four (24%) UK young people aged 16-24 say they have never considered themselves readers.
Source: The Reading Agency, 'The State of the Nation's Adult Reading: 2024 Report', 2024
Link to this stat59% of 16-25 year-olds say BookTok or book influencers helped them discover a passion for reading.
Source: The Publishers Association (UK), 2022
Link to this statAmericans aged 20 to 24 spend just 8 minutes a day reading for personal interest, while those 75 and older read 46 minutes a day.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, 2024
Link to this statUS adults aged 16-65 scored an average of 258 points on the PIAAC literacy scale in 2023, close to but below the OECD average of 260.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), PIAAC 2023, 2023
Link to this statEngland's adult literacy score (272) remains significantly above the OECD average (260), but 18% of English adults (about 6.6 million people) have very low literacy skills, up from 16.4% in 2013.
Source: National Literacy Trust, 2024
Link to this statAt the average adult silent reading speed (238 WPM), a typical 90,000-word novel takes about 6 hours 18 minutes to finish. At a well-trained 400 WPM, the same novel takes about 3 hours 45 minutes.
Tolstoy's War and Peace (roughly 587,000 words in English translation) would take about 41 hours to read at the average adult reading speed of 238 WPM.
The complete Harry Potter series (about 1,084,170 words across all 7 books) would take roughly 76 hours to read at the average adult reading speed of 238 WPM.
The King James Bible (about 783,000 words) would take roughly 55 hours to read cover-to-cover at 238 WPM.
The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (339 books referenced across Gilmore Girls) would take about 2,167 hours to complete at the average adult reading speed of 238 WPM.
Reading just 15 minutes a day at the average adult pace (238 WPM) adds up to about 14-15 books a year, assuming 90,000-word novels.
Reading 30 minutes a day at the average adult pace works out to about 29 books a year.
Reading 60 minutes a day at the average adult pace works out to about 58 books a year.
All the figures above are averages. Find out how you compare with a free, one-minute reading speed test with a comprehension check, no signup required.
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