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SpeedReadTest

Speed Reading Leaderboard

Readers ranked by Effective Reading Speed (ERS): your reading speed × the share of questions you got right. Get at least 3 of 4 right and score 200 or more to add your score.

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Average adult
190ERS
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0Average: 190Max counted: 680
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Questions about the leaderboard

Is there an official world record for speed reading?
There is no widely accepted one. Claims of thousands of words per minute come from demonstrations without independent, controlled comprehension testing. Research reviewed by Rayner et al. (2016) finds that reading much faster than about 400–500 WPM involves skimming, with comprehension dropping as speed rises. On this leaderboard, 680 ERS is SpeedReadTest’s own upper threshold for accepting scores, not a scientific limit.
What about claims of reading 25,000 words per minute?
Claims like this have circulated for decades, including in record-book listings, but they were not backed by controlled comprehension tests. At 25,000 WPM a reader would have well under a second per page, too little time to look at most of the words. Figures like this describe page-scanning, not reading.
How do I submit my score to the global leaderboard?
Take the free reading speed test. If you get at least 3 of the 4 questions right (75%), score 200 ERS or more and beat today’s top score or the all-time top score, a form appears on your results where you can pick a nickname and add your score. Nothing else is needed: no account or email.
Why does the leaderboard rank by ERS instead of raw WPM?
Because speed only matters if you understood the text. ERS is your reading speed multiplied by the share of questions you got right. Reading 1,000 WPM with 20% correct gives 200 ERS, about the same as reading 250 WPM with 80% correct.