How fast do YOU read ?

[Iridal]

I was completely flabbergasted (I've always wanted to use that word) today when I read a comment by someone on this forum. He said he reads one page (of his reader) every second .

That got me thinking: am I such a slow reader ? Maybe it's because I'm a non-native English speaker who reads mostly English books ?

I've seen some threads on speed reading on mobileread and I've also read somewhere that some of you read up to 100 books a year (or at least try to ). Reading one page on my sony with a small font size takes me about 2 minutes, sometimes even up to 5 minutes if I'm really tired.

So how fast or slow do you read ?

[TGS]

I think the average reading speed is somewhere between 250 and 300 words per minute - higher speeds can be achieved but there is usually some drop-off in comprehension. Even speed readers don't usually get much above 550 words per minute. So, if your person who reads a page a second has a large font with only 8 or 9 words per page, and they are a speed reader, and we ignore the time it takes to refresh the screen on an ereader, then I guess it's possible.

I've never really understood the need for speed when it comes to pleasure reading. If we read for pleasure then why would we want to get it over with as quickly as possible?

[Laz116]

Originally Posted by TGS

I think the average reading speed is somewhere between 250 and 300 words per minute - higher speeds can be achieved but there is usually some drop-off in comprehension. Even speed readers don't usually get much above 550 words per minute. So, if your person who reads a page a second has a large font with only 8 or 9 words per page, and they are a speed reader, and we ignore the time it takes to refresh the screen on an ereader, then I guess it's possible.

I've never really understood the need for speed when it comes to pleasure reading. If we read for pleasure then why would we want to get it over with as quickly as possible?

What if some of the parts of the book is not pleasurable... speed read to get to the good stuff

[Pookeysgirl]

I'm below average . Just 212 wpm. I don't find that it takes away from my reading experience though.

[TGS]

As I get older I find that many things are over more quickly than I would like - reading though I can still take my time

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by Laz116

What if some of the parts of the book is not pleasurable... speed read to get to the good stuff

Or just skip them ... That's even faster. My sister skipped the whole second book in a trilogy once (not on purpose of course), and she didn't even notice it until the end of the third book .

If we read for pleasure then why would we want to get it over with as quickly as possible?

Maybe you want to finish the book as fast as possible so you can start another one. Faster readers can read more books in their lifetime right ?

Also, if you live with 4 other avid reader and you have only one copy of the new Harry Potter book, the slowest reader (me) usually gets to read the book last

[Sandra Edwards]

hum...I've never thought about it in terms of speed, really. I just read as fast (or slow) as I need to in order to totally immerse myself in the story.

Sandy

[TM98]

The reading speed test I just took said I read around 200 WPM (not skimming). I've never been a fan of speed reading since (for me at least) it decreases retention and shortens the time I can enjoy a book. While I always enjoy re-reading a beloved book, I never get the same enjoyment I had the first time through. And no matter how anxious I am to find out the conclusion, there is always the moment of slight disappointment when I do finish.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I've never timed myself but I'm probably slower than average. The actual speed will vary depending on how interesting the book is, how many distractions I have and how tired I am (the two go hand in hand; I have ADD and the more tired I am, the more easily distracted I am), how much of the book I want to retain (except for water, I have difficulty retaining things), how easy it is for me to comprehend what I'm reading (fatigue will impair comprehension), etc. I often stop to reflect on what I've just read (or sometimes just have a good cry or recover from a good laugh) so that slows me down. And frankly I don't care. I'm not on any kind of reading schedule so I'll take just however long it takes to enjoy the book.

[Salgueiros]

one page every second? Only if it a page with XL letters, so it has only two words per page....

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Iridal

Also, if you live with 4 other avid reader and you have only one copy of the new Harry Potter book, the slowest reader (me) usually gets to read the book last

Now that reminds me of when I used to work in a bookshop - several of us would have a race to see who could finish the newest HP book first. It was always me (I've always read quickly - teachers at school didn't always believe I'd finished a set book when I said I had. As a young child, I think it was because of the excitement of there being so much to read. And the habit stuck. There are downsides though - for example I completely went off Alexander McCall Smith after reading 7 of his books in one day)

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by Sandra Edwards

hum...I've never thought about it in terms of speed, really. I just read as fast (or slow) as I need to in order to totally immerse myself in the story.

Sandy

Exactly!

In general, I think I tend to be a somewhat fast reader. I judge this by the fact that every time we have a day where we all have to read some article for work, of the 20-some people there, I always finish first. And have to wait a really long time for everyone else. Enough to read twice, usually.

But some stories require me to slow down to really get into the book.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Salgueiros

one page every second? Only if it a page with XL letters, so it has only two words per page....

sounds pretty much off eh?

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Exactly!

In general, I think I tend to be a somewhat fast reader. I judge this by the fact that every time we have a day where we all have to read some article for work, of the 20-some people there, I always finish first. And have to wait a really long time for everyone else. Enough to read twice, usually.

But some stories require me to slow down to really get into the book.

I HATED that in school!

(how'd they get that Penguin to water ski?)

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

(how'd they get that Penguin to water ski?)

He's surfing, silly! and.... I don't know.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by TM98

The reading speed test I just took said I read around 200 WPM (not skimming).

I did one of these reading test on the internet as well, it said I have a basic reading speed. I remember doing a reading test when I was in primary school, where you had to read as many words as you could in a couple of minutes. I think I was a pretty normal reader then.

And no matter how anxious I am to find out the conclusion, there is always the moment of slight disappointment when I do finish.

I know the feeling, I've been known to put a book aside for a couple of days because I only had to ready a couple more pages and I didn't want it to end.

one page every second? Only if it a page with XL letters, so it has only two words per page....

sounds pretty much off eh?

Yep, I still refuse to believe anyone can read that fast. But you can read all about in this thread.

(didn't you know penguins invented surfing ? They're naturals )