500 wpm test
Can you read 500 words a minute?
500 words a minute is 2.1 times the adult average of 238. It is 3.3 times the pace of speech, and the pace of a fast, trained reader. This test shows you 272 words at exactly that speed in 33 seconds, then checks what you kept.
Read 272 words at 500 words a minute
One word at a time, about 33 seconds. Keep your eyes on the red letter. Four questions follow.
500 words a minute.
| Book | At your speed |
|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | |
| 1984 | |
| The Hobbit | |
| Pride and Prejudice | |
| War and Peace | |
| The King James Bible |
What 500 words a minute feels like
More than three times the pace of speech. Your eyes are doing the reading now, and the quiz tells you they did it.
How long books take at 500 wpm
| Book | At 238 wpm | At 500 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | 3.3 hours | 1.6 hours |
| 1984 | 6.2 hours | 3.0 hours |
| The Hobbit | 6.7 hours | 3.2 hours |
| Pride and Prejudice | 8.5 hours | 4.1 hours |
| War and Peace | 41.1 hours | 19.6 hours |
| The King James Bible | 54.8 hours | 26.1 hours |
Questions
Is 500 words a minute fast?
500 words a minute is 2.1 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 fast, trained reader.
How long does it take to read a book at 500 wpm?
At 500 words a minute, The Great Gatsby (about 47,000 words) takes 1.6 hours and 1984 (about 89,000 words) takes 3.0 hours. At the average 238, they take 3.3 hours and 6.2 hours.
Can I learn to read at 500 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.