I used to read a lot and pretty fast when I was young. But since I've started reading in English, instead of Dutch, my reading speed dropped dramatically because of what Dusty said above(word recognition). I'm still not reading as fast as I used to tho it's getting pretty close to what it used to be.
Some other things that influence how fast I read:
I find myself reading at least double the speed when I'm reading exciting parts of the story, or when I'm visualizing it. (Compared to boring parts.)
Typo's and wrong or missing punctuation usually result in me getting thrown out of the story.
Books which I really like usually leave a more vivid impression than a movie.
Another thing I notice is when my mind starts to wander my eyes still keep reading the words but it doesn't register. Sometimes I read an entire page that way before I realize it.
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