400 wpm test
Can you read 400 words a minute?
400 words a minute is 1.7 times the adult average of 238. It is 2.7 times the pace of speech, and the pace of a trained reader. This test shows you 272 words at exactly that speed in 41 seconds, then checks what you kept.
Read 272 words at 400 words a minute
One word at a time, about 41 seconds. Keep your eyes on the red letter. Four questions follow.
400 words a minute.
| Book | At your speed |
|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | |
| 1984 | |
| The Hobbit | |
| Pride and Prejudice | |
| War and Peace | |
| The King James Bible |
What 400 words a minute feels like
Most people cannot read every word aloud in their head at this pace. You are reading by sight now.
How long books take at 400 wpm
| Book | At 238 wpm | At 400 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | 3.3 hours | 2.0 hours |
| 1984 | 6.2 hours | 3.7 hours |
| The Hobbit | 6.7 hours | 4.0 hours |
| Pride and Prejudice | 8.5 hours | 5.1 hours |
| War and Peace | 41.1 hours | 24.5 hours |
| The King James Bible | 54.8 hours | 32.6 hours |
Questions
Is 400 words a minute fast?
400 words a minute is 1.7 times the adult average of 238 for non-fiction (Brysbaert (2019), a review of 190 studies, Journal of Memory and Language). It is the pace of a trained reader.
How long does it take to read a book at 400 wpm?
At 400 words a minute, The Great Gatsby (about 47,000 words) takes 2.0 hours and 1984 (about 89,000 words) takes 3.7 hours. At the average 238, they take 3.3 hours and 6.2 hours.
Can I learn to read at 400 words a minute?
Yes, with training. Raise your pace 25 words a minute at a time and keep a quiz on every read, so the speed you reach is one you understand at.