Reading Time Calculator
Paste the text or a word count. Adjustable reading speed, plus a separate speaking estimate.
Worked example
238 words per minute is the average for silent reading of English prose, from Brysbaert's meta-analysis of 190 studies. Skimming runs three to four times faster; reading to retain technical material, closer to 150.
Reading time estimates are a courtesy to the reader, not a measurement. The number on an article card sets an expectation — "6 min read" promises something different from "18 min read" — and readers decide whether to start based on it.
Where the numbers come from
Median silent reading speed for English is about 238 words per minute, with wide variation between 175 and 300. Speaking is slower and more consistent: roughly 130–150 wpm is comfortable for an audience, and 150 is the usual planning figure for scripts.
What the estimate ignores
It ignores images, code blocks, tables, and the fact that people reread. It also ignores formatting: a wall of text at the same word count takes materially longer than the same words broken into sections. Treat the figure as a floor.
Use it for
Setting expectations on article cards, budgeting a slide script against a slot length, and catching articles that have quietly grown past the length their title implies.