Why Do I Read So Slow?

There are many reasons why you may be reading so slowly, including focus, frequent rereading, and more. You're not alone and this is something that you can get better results with!

Let's discuss common reasons for slow reading and how you can improve it, but first, what's a slow reading speed?

What's Considered Slow Reading?

It's been estimated that the average person speaks at 150wpm (words per minute). The average person who reads fairly well may read at about 175 to 250wpm, but it depends on what they're reading.

Slow reading can have it's benefits. You may be getting increased comprehension from reading more slowly, and shouldn't necessarily zoom through the text if you are missing key points and not grasping what you are reading.

It's important to consider why you're reading what you're reading, but there are definitely reasons why you may be reading slowly and powerful ways to increase your reading speed, finally kicking that "I can't help but read slowly" habit.

Common Reasons You May Be Reading Slowly

Many people struggle with slow reading for a variety of reasons, most of which stem from habits, distractions, or gaps in skills. Understanding these underlying causes is the first step toward improving your reading speed.

1. Subvocalization

Subvocalization is the habit of mentally pronouncing each word as you read. This habit is quite common because most of us learned to read this way. We sounded out the words aloud to read them.

The problem with subvocalization is that it ties your reading speed to your speaking speed, which is usually around 150 words per minute. Your brain is capable of processing text at much higher speeds.

2. Lack of Focus

If you are struggling to maintain focus on what you're reading, it will substantially slow you down, and there are many things that could be distracting you.

For example, nagging tasks and ideas. Thoughts about what you want to do later, or how you don't want to read this book, or you wish you could read faster!

Notifications from your phone including from social media, text messages, or calls can be all be a distraction. So too of course can sounds, sights, and even smells.

3. Limited Vocabulary

Limited vocabulary is another thing that can dramatically slow down your reading speed. When you read a word you don't know, you often will pause and try to figure out or think what it means.

When you're reading texts that are on topics you're not super knowledgable on, or perhaps written in a way you're not used to, it will slow you down. One common example of this is reading an older book and you're unfamiliar with the Old English way of speaking and words that they use!

4. Limited Knowledge on the Topic

Another thing that will slow down your reading is limited knowledge on the topic you're reading about. If for example, you're reading about something you are super knowledgeable on, it will be easier than if you cracked open a book on rocket science, turned to page 53 and started reading!

Your brain will encounter all sorts of new ideas and you'll try to make sense of them. This can be a confusing process but also one that results in lots of pausing and rereading.

5. Frequent Rereading

If you are pausing and rereading frequently, this will substantially reduce your reading speed. This may be an indication that you are reading something challenging or are struggling to focus.

It may also be a common habit that you can break, including as you increase your reading skills, like in our members area.

6. Dense Information

Not all reading material is equally easy to process. Some books are packed with information and are very information dense. Certain books like biographies, history books, and other nonfiction or educational books can be very information dense.

For example, they may be packed with numbers like 351 people, 25 minutes, 100 ideas. They may contain equations. They may have lots of dates like April 1, 1951. They may also contain lots of names.

7. Not Training Your Reading Speed

This is perhaps the most overlooked factor in your reading speed! You can train your reading speed and learn how to read faster and more skillfully, while retaining or improving comprehension!

Here at Reading Phenom, we have an entire powerful and unique system dedicated to helping you do just that! Be sure to get our free training if you're interested in learning more about how we can help you do just that! (It's the first step to take if you're interested in joining our members only area.)

How To Read Faster

1. Remove Distractions

Removing distractions can help you to read faster. By brain dumping nagging tasks and ideas onto a piece of paper, you can remove mental distractions that might affeect you while reading.

There are also of course physical distractions. What you hear can be another source of distractions, and sometimes even total silence can be a distraction! Perhaps some subtle background noise can be of help to you, which may be why working in a cafe or semi-quiet area can be so helpful. Be wary of listening to music with words however, as this gives your mind another source of words to process on top of the ones you're reading.

Creating temporary periods of focus can also help you to remove yourself of distractions of checking your phone, etc.

2. Use Skimming When Appropriate

In some isntances skimming is valuable and totally reasonable. For example, if you want to get the gist of something, then skimming may provide you with an idea of what's going on.

Additionally, you may not care too much about a certain section at the moment, and so you may skim over it. Headlines, pull quotes, and the first and last sentence of each paragraph often provide valuable information about the gist of what is going on.

3. Avoid Excessive Rereading

Rereading is a common habit that slows readers down. If for example someone is reading at 400 wpm, and then they pause for 3 seconds and go back 7 words to the beginning of a sentence, over the course of 1 minute their reading speed is now lowered to 373 wpm.

4. Improve Your Vocabulary

Expanding your vocabulary will help you to read faster, because the fewer unfamiliar words you encounter, the less likely you are to pause and try to make sense of what they mean.

As with any word, the more often you see it, the more easily you will recognize it. Look up definitions as needed. We have a tool for helping to increase your understanding of new words in our members area.

5. Become More Skilled in the Topic

The more you know about a subject, the easier it is to read books and more on that subject. You'll be able to connect ideas quickly, automatically recognize terminology, and breeze through well-known information. This is why experts in a field often appear to “breeze through” content that might feel dense to others.

If you frequently read about a particular topic and invest time into building a strong foundational knowledge, plus take action on that knowledge, you'll obviously become more skilled. Watch videos, read summaries, or explore beginner-level resources to deepen your understanding. As your expertise grows, your reading speed will naturally increase.

6. Train Your Reading Speed

Reading speed is a skill that you can improve. We offer training on reading faster and specific tools designed to help you increase your reading speed and comprehension, so that you can read get through books faster, while also getting more out of them.

By learning the right techniques and then practicing them, you could 3-5x your reading speed and improve comprehension!

Remember that reading slowly isn't a fixed trait. It's something that can be improved, and it can be improved for you too! For a free reading training, get our free training here.