text: how many words a minute is average reading speed for an adult?   we read at an average rate of 240 words (about half a novel page) per minute – our light-material rate. most people study or read technical material at less than half this rate – about 100 words a minute. so for the average person, reading a 400-page novel will consume about 12 hours and a 400-page text-book will consume about 30 hours.”