Non-Fiction Benchmark
News Articles reading speed: average WPM and reading-time guide
The typical news articles reading speed is about 270 WPM. This is a planning baseline. For better estimates, test your own speed and use it in the calculator.
Quick answer
Average news articles reading speed is around 270 words per minute. A 3,000-word text takes about 11 minutes at this pace.
Why this speed is different
Online journalism and news reporting — inverted pyramid, clear language.
Reading speed varies by text complexity, familiarity, fatigue, and reading goal. Use this value for baseline planning, not as a strict target.