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Cited by 569Reading and Literacy DevelopmentLiteracy and Educational PracticesNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 412 of the 417 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate

Open access
Brysbaert, Marc·2019·Journal of Memory and Language
DOI 10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047
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Abstract

Based on the analysis of 190 studies (18,573 participants), we estimate that the average silent reading rate for adults in English is 238 words per minute (wpm) for non-fiction and 260 wpm for fiction. The difference can be predicted by taking into account the length of the words, with longer words in non-fiction than in fiction. The estimates are lower than the numbers often cited in scientific and popular writings. The reasons for the overestimates are reviewed. The average oral reading rate (based on 77 studies and 5965 participants) is 183 wpm. Reading rates are lower for children, old adults, and readers with English as second language. The reading rates are in line with maximum listening speed and do not require the assumption of reading-specific language processing. Within each group/task there are reliable individual differences, which are not yet fully understood. For silent reading of English non-fiction most adults fall in the range of 175–300 wpm; for fiction the range is 200–320 wpm. Reading rates in other languages can be predicted reasonably well by taking into account the number of words these languages require to convey the same message as in English.

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5 of the 417 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Alter, 2012, Your E-book is reading you, Wall Street Journal
  2. Buari, 2017, *Buari-Chen Malay Reading Chart (BCMRC): Contextual sentence and random words 2-in-1 design in Malay language, Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, 25, 135
  3. Monteiro de Castro, 2005, *Development and validation of the MNREAD reading acuity chart in Portuguese, Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia, 68, 777
  4. Sekey, 1982, *Text display by“ saccadic scrolling”, Visible Language, 16, 62
  5. Stoll, 1974, *Évaluation de trois types d'exercices de lecture rapide, Le Travail Humain, 37, 249

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Metadata

Authors
Brysbaert, M.
Affiliations
Ghent University (BE)
Corresponding author
Brysbaert, Marc
ORCID
Brysbaert, Marc
Venue
Journal of Memory and Language
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-12
Volume
109
Pages
104047
ISSN
0749-596X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047
OpenAlex
W2966983573
Cited by
553
References
417
Citations by year
2026: 81 · 2025: 152 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 74 · 2022: 106 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 1
FWCI
9.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Memory and Language (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Universiteit Gent
  • Max Planck Instituut voor Psycholinguïstiek
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Education › Literacy and Educational Practices
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
reading speed, silent reading, reading aloud, words per minute, nonfiction reading, fiction reading, word length, English as a second language, children's reading

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