Audiobook listening speed — a surprisingly controversial topic. I love a good audiobook as much as the next person. And aside from who’s narrating and what the book is about, how you listen, i.e., the listening speed, can change the entire experience. Some may prefer a more laid-back, leisurely pace, whereas others have a need for speed.
Below, members of the Bookstr team reveal their preferred audiobook listening speeds and explain why they chose them.
1.0x – 1.25x
I enjoy listening to audiobooks at normal speed. If the author is talking slower than normal, then I will do 1.25x, but I usually don’t need any speeds higher than that.
Jazmine B. Social and Outreach
Between 1.0x and 1.3x
I know a lot of people listen to theirs pretty fast, but I just can’t. I usually zone out when listening to audiobooks and miss a lot of information as is. I need to listen to them slowly so I can absorb what the narrator is saying. Also, my earbuds don’t seem to appreciate anything faster, and the audio starts to distort if I go any higher.
Ashley Lewis, Social & Editorial
1.25x – 1.5x
Any slower, and it drags. Any faster, and you lose the emotion of the story. I read much faster than I listen to the books I consume. Mostly because when I read, I feel like I still get the emotional nuances of the characters, and the tone is consistently synced. When you add more speed to an audiobook, those aspects seem lost. I want to feel everything to enjoy the book the author wrote fully.
Kristi Eskew, Executive Editor
1.5x – 2.0x
I’m picky about audiobook genres. I can listen to books I’ve already read in print, or just about any nonfiction. If it goes too slow, I space out and miss relevant information. About 90% of the time I listen to audiobooks while doing chores around the house or running errands, and a faster pace helps me stay on top of my tasks and complete my to-do list without zoning out or losing momentum.
Arianna Fuhrman, Editorial Intern
1.75x – 2.0x
I don’t often listen to audiobooks, but when I do, I’m either at the gym or reading along with a physical book. At the gym, I want the audiobook to keep my attention and feel fast-paced to motivate me. While reading along physically, I find that my reading speed is faster than the audiobook’s speed, so I usually go up to about 2x speed. It sounds ridiculous, and my partner always laughs at me for it, but my attention strays if the words don’t match up to how I’m reading and processing them! Audiobooks take a lot longer than reading books physically for me, and being fairly impatient, 1.75x to 2x speed is the only way I can really enjoy them!
Fiona Hansen, Editorial & Outreach
1.8x – 2.0x
I usually watch/listen to YouTube videos at 2x speed, so I think this trained me to listen to audiobooks at this same pace. When I listen to audiobooks, I’m usually commuting on the bus or cleaning, so I need a faster speed to keep me entertained.
Emily Chang, Outreach
Anywhere Between 1.3x and 3.0x
I’m so used to listening to everything sped up, from Uni lectures to YouTube videos and podcasts — even shows on Netflix! I’ve done it for so long now that listening at 1x often feels too slow, and I’ll probably just get bored and give up. Also, seeing the 10+ hours of listening time left on whatever book I’m listening to seems pretty daunting to me, so I like seeing the time reduce when I pick up the speed. I also tend to crank things up as I get closer to the end of a book, especially if it’s a thriller and they’re finally revealing all the answers to a mystery.
M.A. Kole, Editorial
Well, there you have it, folks! The Bookstr team’s audiobook listening speeds ranked from slowest to fastest. Do you share the same average listening speed as any team members? Regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found some new insights into how different people listen to their audiobooks. Happy Listening!
Check out this article to find out where you can listen to audiobooks online.
Here are a few audiobook recommendations to listen to on the road.
