The amount of text (written or typed) that a subject can absorb during a single movement of the eyes over a line of text. That is, the greater the reading span, the fewer times the subject finds it necessary to stop along the line. A span of 7 to 10 characters is considered typical. 2. In memory tests, the number of words a person is able to remember when being tasked with recalling the last word of each sentence in a passage just read.