How fast does the average person read?

A 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies put average silent reading of non-fiction at 238 words per minute and fiction at 260 wpm for adult English readers. Claims of 'speed reading' at 700 wpm or more come with large losses in comprehension. Audiobooks are narrated at roughly 150 to 160 wpm, so most people read faster than they listen.

Source: Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language 109