The average reading speed of adultsamounts to 239 wpm. However, we often come across various speed reading programs and apps that unlock read speeds of over 700 or even over 1,000 wpm.
We reviewed the available literature on speed reading methods to explore the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks that speed readers may face. We present you with X statistics and facts about speed reading.
Read speed levels
To achieve rapid improvements in reading speed, readers must overcome subvocalization, which limits reading speed to ~400 words per minute (wpm):
- The average reader who reads around 250 wpm is a motor reader. They engage the lips or tongue as they go through each word, which negatively affects reading speed.
- If a reader manages to suppress the use of the tongue or lips, he enters the auditory reading zone. Auditory readers can reach reading speeds of up to 400-450 wpm.
- Readers who can completely overcome subvocalization are visual readers. This is an area of speed reading, as visual readers can read at speeds of over 500 wpm or even over 1,000 wpm.
Fast reading data
Most of the population remains at normal reading speed (200-350 wpm). But some people's reported reading skills far exceed the average person's abilities:
- Annie Jones is a six-time world speed reader champion and can read 4,700 wpm with a comprehension of 67%.
- Howard Berg set the Guinness World Record for speed reading in 1990, reportedly reading 25,000 words per minute (or 80 pages per minute) with 100% comprehension. However, Guinness no longer recognizes records for speed measurements.
- Maria Teresa Calderon claims the ability to read 80,000 wpm with 100% comprehension. This claim has never been officially confirmed.
- Bill Gates reportedly reads 150 pages per hour or ~625 wpm with 90% comprehension.
- John F. Kennedy could reportedly read 1,500 wpm.
- Another former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, could reportedly read at 2,000 wpm with a 95% comprehension rate.
- Evelyn Wood, an American teacher who popularized speed reading, said she could read 2,700 words per minute.
General speed reading techniques
There are several methods to improve your current reading speed and become a speed reader. Most speed reading apps and programs are based on these few basic techniques.
Skimming and scanning
Skimming is a form of speed reading in which readers visually search for indicators of the main idea in the text at hand.
- This method can be useful for readers to quickly get an overview of the general idea of the text in a limited time.
- However, skimming is not effective when detailed information is required from the text, as it lowers the level of understanding (more details in the sections below).
Scanning is the process that naturally follows skimming. Essentially, through scanning, readers create a visual hierarchy of information that is extracted through skimming.
Meta-guidance
Meta-guidance is a speed reading method that allows the reader to move their eyes through the text more quickly. This is usually accomplished by using some form of pointer to follow the eye's set path through the lines.
The main purpose of tutoring is to reduce regressions that occur during the normal reading experience. Some argue that metaguidance also reduces subvocalization.
- Vanwege de geclaimde vermindering van regressie en subvocalisatie kan de metagidstechniek de leestijd aanzienlijk verkorten.
- On the other hand, because it contains skimming elements, meta-guidance can have a negative effect on comprehension rates.
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP)
RSVP presents a method used in most speed reading apps. The principle of this method is to limit the eye fixation to one place, rather than forcing the eye to move across the lines and sections. This is achieved by presenting the words one after the other in the same location but at different time intervals.
- By minimizing saccades and regressions, readers can reach speeds above 400 wpm.
- The inability to go back and revise the text several times negatively impacts comprehension of the text, according to comprehension tests from several research papers.
Benefits of speed reading
We delved into academic research articles to discover the benefits of different speed reading methods. It's worth noting that different people have different reading goals and can therefore benefit from speed reading in different ways.
In general, these are cases where speed reading can be beneficial for different groups of people. Speed reading techniques can improve both reading and comprehension speed for slow readers.
Benefits of speed reading for students
Several research papers have shown that taking a speed reading course can be beneficial to students' learning and understanding:
- A group of students using skimming and scanning were able to increase their comprehension rate by 16.5% while becoming faster readers, from 204.29 wpm to 274.07 wpm (34.1% increase).
- The same group was also able to absorb more information about the microstructure of the text than the group that read at normal speed.
- Another study found that, compared to the control group of students who did not enroll in speed reading, the group that did was able to significantly increase comprehension levels by 13.9%.
Benefits of speed reading for adults
- According to one study, the group of adults who took part in a speed reading course were able to increase reading speed by 42.8% while suffering a small loss in comprehension (about 9.5%).
- Speed reading courses allow students to increase their reading speed in a short time. One study estimated that a twelve-week course is sufficient to significantly improve reading speed.
- The same study found that this higher percentage is transferable to other types of tests, as the group enrolled in the course consistently outperformed the control group, regardless of the type of text.
- Most participants were also able to maintain a 70% comprehension score even with an increase in reading speed.
Benefits of speed reading for non-native speakers of English
People who are learning the English language can speed up the process by taking the speed reading course. This is usually possible due to low initial read rates:
- A study in Venezuela found that students who took an English course increased their reading speed by 41.6% (from 120 to 170 wpm).
- This improvement did not significantly impact comprehension as it dropped from 78% to 67%.
- Another study of English-speaking students who underwent speed reading training found that reading speed increased by 85%, while comprehension levels also increased by 19%.
Disadvantages of speed reading
While taking a speed reading course may be beneficial for people with slower reading speeds or those who are beginning to learn the English language, reading at extremely high speeds is of no consequence.
Becoming a faster reader does not necessarily mean you will become a skilled reader. Speed reading comes with some consequences that need to be addressed.
Some experts explain that there are certain limitations of the human mind that seriously affect comprehension when readers go above 400 wpm:
- Keith Reiner, an eye-tracking expert, stated that more than 500 wpm does not involve a serious loss of comprehension.
- Our ability to understand is limited by anatomy and eye movements. By skipping the words through speed reading, we cannot process all the information.
- Due to anatomical limitations, there is a certain speed at which our brains can process visual information. Going above that speed will significantly impact comprehension.
Taking a speed reading course while reading at a slower than average reading speed has a positive effect on comprehension.
But once the reader leaves the subvocalization zone and enters the speed reading zone, numerous studies show that this comes at a price: a significant reduction in comprehension:
- By using the skimming technique, readers are unable to develop a deeper understanding of the text.
- When skimming, readers must make a compromise between finding the most important aspects of the text and gaining detailed insight.
- One study found that when using the RSVP method, participants' comprehension level decreased by 50% as reading speed increased.
- Another study compared speed readers (600-700 wpm), skimmers, and normal readers (~250 wpm). The results showed that normal readers outperformed both speed readers and skimmers in comprehension tests.
- Research on the RSVP method found that when participants read 7th to 8th grade material at a speed of 705 wpm, they had an accuracy score of 70%, while more difficult material, the 9th to 10th grade level, had the comprehension decreased by up to 55%.
Benefits of reading slowly
While speed reading can be used for certain reading purposes, going in the opposite direction also has benefits:
- Poulton (1958) found that the amount of content retained by the reader increases significantly when reading speed goes from 300 wpm to 150 wpm.
- Research has shown that the amount of stress can be reduced by 68% in people who read slowly and quietly for 6 minutes.
- In addition, 30 minutes of slow reading will have a positive effect on anxiety.
- Research shows that reading aloud can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
- Studies have also shown that people who read at a college level (250-300 wpm) or higher tend to read more slowly when they read for pleasure.
- When an in-depth understanding of the text is needed, it is not enough to focus only on the most important elements, but also on details that provide context. This leads to a slower reading speed, but a much greater understanding.
