How to Read Faster Without Losing What You Read: What the Research Says About Speed Reading
Most speed-reading promises fail in the lab. What does work is reading with a purpose, previewing, and choosing which parts deserve full attention.
in short
To read faster without losing comprehension, set a purpose, preview the text, and read selectively, skimming the parts you only need the gist of. A 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found it unlikely that readers can double or triple their speed while understanding as well. Lasting gains come from reading practice and a larger vocabulary.
If you want to know how to read faster, start with what the research on reading actually shows, because it rules out most of the shortcuts sold as speed reading. The good news is that you can get through a reading list in less time. You do it by deciding what each text is for, previewing it, skimming what you only need the gist of, and reading closely where it counts. Below: typical reading speeds, what a major review found about speed-reading claims, skimming versus reading, and a plan you can use tonight.
How fast do people read?
The average is lower than you have been told, and that is fine.
The largest estimate is a 2019 review and meta-analysis by Marc Brysbaert in the Journal of Memory and Language, “How many words do we read per minute?” Based on 190 studies with 18,573 participants, it estimates the average silent reading rate for adults in English at 238 words per minute (wpm) for nonfiction and 260 wpm for fiction. Brysbaert notes that these estimates are lower than the numbers often cited in scientific and popular writing.
| Measure | Figure | Base, as the source states it |
|---|---|---|
| Silent reading, nonfiction | 238 wpm | Adults reading English; 190 studies, 18,573 participants (Brysbaert 2019) |
| Silent reading, fiction | 260 wpm | Same analysis; the difference is predicted by longer words in nonfiction |
| Usual range, nonfiction | 175 to 300 wpm | Most adults, silent reading of English nonfiction |
| Usual range, fiction | 200 to 320 wpm | Most adults, silent reading of English fiction |
| Reading aloud | 183 wpm | 77 studies, 5,965 participants |
| Good college-educated readers | About 200 to 400 wpm | As described in Rayner et al. (2016) |
To check your own rate, time three minutes on a page you have not read, count the words and divide by three. Then close the book and write two sentences on what the page said; a speed without that check tells you little.
What research says about speed reading
The most thorough review is “So Much to Read, So Little Time: How Do We Read, and Can Speed Reading Help?” by Keith Rayner, Elizabeth Schotter, Michael Masson, Mary Potter and Rebecca Treiman, in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, volume 17, 2016. It traces the idea back at least to Evelyn Wood’s Reading Dynamics program of 1959 and looks at newer speed-reading apps.
Its conclusion, from the abstract: “The research shows that there is a trade-off between speed and accuracy.” The authors judge it unlikely that readers can double or triple their reading speed, which they illustrate as going from around 250 words per minute to 500 or 750, “while still being able to understand the text as well as if they read at normal speed.” The review then tests the specific claims speed-reading courses make:
| Speed-reading claim | What the review reports |
|---|---|
| Use peripheral vision to take in a whole line or page at once | Accuracy at identifying a briefly shown word drops sharply outside central vision and reaches chance around 3 degrees from the fixation point. In English, readers take in about 3 to 4 letter spaces to the left of where they look and 14 to 15 to the right. |
| Stop the inner voice (subvocalization) | Inner speech plays an important role in word identification and comprehension. Attempts to eliminate it impaired comprehension when texts were reasonably difficult and required inferences. |
| Never go back over a line | Expert readers move back to an earlier word about 10% to 15% of the time, many of them to repair a misunderstanding. In one study the review describes, readers answered a comprehension question correctly 75% of the time when they could reread, and at around chance (50%) when they could not. |
| Eye movements waste time, so flash words one at a time | Processing continues during eye movements, so that time is not wasted. Apps that flash one word at a time also prevent rereading to fix a misreading. |
The review also describes two speed-reading graduates tested in a lab at 15,000 wpm or more. Their comprehension was quite poor; the investigator credited them with “a remarkable dexterity in page-turning.”
Skimming vs reading: when going faster is fine
The review separates reading from skimming, which it defines as moving through a text quickly to find a specific piece of information or to get a general idea of its content. Skimming rates can be two to four times faster than typical silent reading, but comprehension is lower. In one study it describes (Masson, 1982), people skimming at about twice their normal rate were less able to identify statements from the text, whether those statements carried important information or minor details.
That does not make skimming a mistake. The authors write that skimming “is an important skill and may be a reasonable way to cope with the overwhelming amount of text we have to read, as long as we are willing to accept the trade-off between speed and accuracy.” They add that attending to headings and spending more time on the beginnings and endings of paragraphs may improve comprehension during skimming, and that zigzagging down a page may be the least effective way to skim.
How to read faster without losing comprehension
None of these steps asks you to move your eyes differently. They cut time spent on parts you did not need. The first four come from university reading guides; the last from the 2016 review.
Know your purpose
The UNC Learning Center’s reading comprehension tips point out that reading for a multiple-choice exam needs more attention to detail, such as definitions, dates and specific examples, than reading for a discussion or an essay, which needs main points and relationships.
Preview before you read
UNC suggests a first glance at headings, diagrams, tables, pictures, bolded words, summaries and key questions, plus the introduction and conclusion, then a prediction of the main concepts. The Harvard Library guide to reading habits calls this looking “around” the text before you start.
Choose a speed for each section
Skim the sections your purpose does not need, using headings and the first and last sentences of paragraphs. Read the sections that carry your purpose at normal speed, and reread where you lose the thread.
Annotate instead of highlighting everything
UNC’s advice: “Overusing the highlighter? Put it down and try annotation.” The Harvard guide goes further: “Throw away your highlighter.” A margin note forces a decision.
Build speed over time
The review’s abstract is plain: the way to maintain high comprehension and get through text faster is to practice reading and become a more practiced language user, for example through a larger vocabulary.
A worked example: a 30-page chapter for a seminar
This plan is invented to show the steps in use. A student has a 30-page history chapter to read for a seminar discussion, not an exam. Their purpose, written at the top: the chapter’s main argument and two pieces of evidence to raise in class.
| Part of the chapter | Decision after the preview | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction (3 pages) | States the argument | Read closely; mark the thesis in the margin |
| Background on earlier historians (6 pages) | Context the seminar will not discuss | Skim headings and first sentences |
| Two case studies (14 pages) | The evidence for the argument | Read at normal speed; annotate one example from each |
| Statistical appendix (4 pages) | Not needed for discussion | Skip; note that it exists |
| Conclusion (3 pages) | Restates and extends the argument | Read closely; write a two-sentence summary |
The time saved comes from the background and the appendix, not from reading the case studies faster. To find the argument quickly in the introduction, use the method in how to find the main idea of a passage.
Pitfalls that cost comprehension
- Skimming text you will be tested on in detail. The trade-off is real: skimmers remember fewer statements from the text, important ones included.
- Forcing yourself not to reread. Going back is how expert readers repair misreadings. Reread when a sentence stops making sense.
- Trusting an app’s reading speed. A rate shown on screen says nothing about what you understood. Check with a closed-book summary.
Tips for getting through more reading
- Read in chunks with breaks. UNC gives an example plan: four pages, then a fifteen-minute break.
- Summarize each section in your own words. UNC suggests the main points and two or three key details after each chunk; the summaries become your notes.
- Read research papers out of order. Abstract, introduction and conclusion first, as set out in how to read a research paper in three passes.
- Ask questions as you go. Active reading keeps attention on the page, which saves rereading later; see active reading strategies.
Reading faster is mostly reading less of what you do not need. Set a purpose, preview, skim the background, read closely where your purpose lies, and reread when meaning slips. For more on reading and note-taking, see the study guides.
Common questions
Does speed reading work?
Not as advertised. The 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found a trade-off between speed and accuracy and concluded that readers are unlikely to double or triple their speed while understanding a text as well as at normal speed. What speed-reading courses teach mostly resembles skimming, which is faster but gives lower comprehension.
What is the average reading speed?
A 2019 meta-analysis by Marc Brysbaert, based on 190 studies and 18,573 participants, estimates the average adult silent reading rate in English at 238 words per minute for nonfiction and 260 for fiction. Most adults fall between 175 and 300 words per minute for nonfiction. Reading aloud averages 183 words per minute.
How can I read faster for school?
Start each reading with a purpose, preview the headings, introduction and conclusion, then decide which sections to read closely and which to skim. Read in chunks with short breaks and summarize each chunk. This saves time on the parts you did not need while keeping full comprehension where your assignment requires it.
Should I stop subvocalizing to read faster?
No. The 2016 review reports that inner speech plays an important role in identifying words and understanding text during silent reading, and that attempts to eliminate it impaired comprehension when texts were reasonably difficult and required inferences. Hearing the words in your head is part of normal fluent reading, not a bad habit.
Is skimming the same as reading?
No. The 2016 review defines skimming as moving quickly through a text to find specific information or get a general idea of its content. It can be two to four times faster than normal reading but leaves lower comprehension. Skimming is a good choice for background material and a poor one for text you must know in detail.
Can I improve my reading speed over time?
Yes, slowly. The 2016 review found that the way to keep high comprehension while getting through text faster is to practice reading and become a more practiced language user, for example by building vocabulary. Gains come from reading regularly and widely rather than from a technique learned in a weekend course.
Sources
- Rayner, Schotter, Masson, Potter and Treiman, “So Much to Read, So Little Time: How Do We Read, and Can Speed Reading Help?” Psychological Science in the Public Interest 17, no. 1 (2016): 4 to 34
- Marc Brysbaert, “How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate,” Journal of Memory and Language 109 (2019)
- The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Reading Comprehension Tips
- Harvard Library Research Guides: Interrogating Texts, Six Reading Habits to Develop in Your First Year at Harvard
sign-off
Checked against its sources and signed before it went out.
Nora Feld
Editor · reviewed 2 Nov 2026
