600 wpm test
Can you read 600 words a minute?
600 words a minute is 4 times the 150-wpm baseline, the pace of speech. It is the pace of a speed reader. This test shows you 272 words at exactly that speed in 27 seconds, then checks what you kept.
Read 272 words at 600 words a minute
One word at a time, about 27 seconds. Keep your eyes on the red letter. Four questions follow.
600 words a minute.
| Book | At your speed |
|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | |
| 1984 | |
| The Hobbit | |
| Pride and Prejudice | |
| War and Peace | |
| The King James Bible |
What 600 words a minute feels like
Four times the pace of speech. A chapter that took half an hour takes twelve minutes.
How long books take at 600 wpm
| Book | At the 150 baseline | At 600 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby | 5.2 hours | 78 minutes |
| 1984 | 9.9 hours | 2.5 hours |
| The Hobbit | 10.6 hours | 2.6 hours |
| Pride and Prejudice | 13.6 hours | 3.4 hours |
| War and Peace | 65.2 hours | 16.3 hours |
| The King James Bible | 87.0 hours | 21.8 hours |
Questions
Is 600 words a minute fast?
600 words a minute is 4 times the 150-wpm baseline, the pace of speech. It is the pace of a speed reader.
How long does it take to read a book at 600 wpm?
At 600 words a minute, The Great Gatsby (about 47,000 words) takes 78 minutes and 1984 (about 89,000 words) takes 2.5 hours. At the 150-wpm baseline they take 5.2 hours and 9.9 hours.
Can I learn to read at 600 words a minute?
Yes. Train up to it in steps of 25 words a minute, with a quiz on every read. When the answers hold at one pace, you take the next.