Reading Time Calculator

About Reading Time Calculator

A reading-time estimate can help set expectations for an article, report or lesson. The result depends on the selected reading pace and is only a rough guide for the audience.

How to use Reading Time Calculator

1. Paste the text you want to estimate.
2. Review the detected word count.
3. Read the estimated time shown by the tool.
4. Consider whether the audience may read more slowly because of technical terms, tables or a second language.
5. Round the estimate appropriately before displaying it to readers.

Using the number

A reading time such as 5 min read helps visitors decide whether to start an article. It does not include time for looking at images, copying code or following links, so add a little for pages with many of them. Paste only the text you want to measure, because headings and menus copied from a page add extra words.

Frequently asked questions

Is the reading time exact?

No. It estimates duration from text length and an assumed pace.

Do images and tables affect the estimate?

They can add time that a text-only word count does not measure.

Which reading speed should I use?

Start with 200 words per minute. Use a lower number for difficult or technical text and a higher one for light reading.

How do I estimate the length of a speech?

Set a slower pace, around 130 to 150 words per minute, and paste the script.

More Text tools

• Word Counter: Count words in a text passage
• Character Counter: Count characters with or without spaces
• Case Converter: Change text to upper, lower or title case
• Text Cleaner: Clean repeated spaces and formatting from text
• Remove Duplicate Lines: Remove repeated lines from a text list
• Sort Lines: Sort lines alphabetically

Want more detail, examples and answers to common questions? Read the Reading Time Calculator guide.