Reading time calculator
How long will someone spend on this? Adjust the pace to match who is actually reading.
Your text stays in your browser.
Structure and length of what you wrote.
Your text at a glance
Reading and speaking times are estimates.
A reading-time estimate is a courtesy to your reader and a planning tool for you. Newsletters, documentation, blog posts and reading lists all benefit from an honest one.
The honest part matters. A single fixed rate flatters short posts and punishes dense ones, so the pace here is yours to set.
How this tool counts
The estimate is words divided by a words-per-minute rate. Three presets are offered — 130 wpm for careful or technical reading, 200 wpm for ordinary prose, 280 wpm for skimming — and you can type any rate you like.
Adult silent reading of general prose typically falls somewhere between 200 and 250 words per minute, which is why the middle preset sits there. Technical material, a second language, or a small phone screen all push the real number down.
The estimate deliberately ignores images, code blocks, tables and footnotes. A page full of diagrams takes longer than its word count suggests, and no formula fixes that — you know your material.
A worked example
A 1,500-word article, read three ways:
- At 130 wpm (careful)
- 11:32
- At 200 wpm (average)
- 7:30
- At 280 wpm (skimming)
- 5:21
Same article, a six-minute spread. If you publish a reading time, say which pace it assumes, or pick the slower one and let people beat it.
Frequently asked questions
What reading speed should I use?
For general prose aimed at adults, 200 to 250 words per minute is a defensible default. Drop towards 130 for technical documentation, dense academic writing, or an audience reading in a second language.
Is this the same as speaking time?
No — people read silently much faster than anyone speaks. If you are timing something to be read aloud, use the speaking time calculator instead.
Why is my estimate different from another site's?
Almost always because of the assumed rate. Many tools hardcode a single figure and do not tell you what it is. Set the same rate on both and the numbers converge.
Does it account for images and code?
No. It measures the text you paste in. Add time yourself for figures, tables and code that readers will stop and study.