Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long text takes to read silently or to say aloud, with the reading speeds behind each figure and where the estimate breaks down.
The estimate is mostly one number nobody measured
Reading time is words ÷ speed. The word count is exact. The speed is assumed — almost always a flat 200 or 250 — and ordinary adult speed for continuous prose spans roughly 150 to 300. For a 1,200-word article:
| Reading speed | Estimate |
|---|---|
| 120 words a minute | 10.0 minutes |
| 150 words a minute | 8.0 minutes |
| 200 words a minute | 6.0 minutes |
| 250 words a minute | 4.8 minutes |
| 300 words a minute | 4.0 minutes |
| 400 words a minute | 3.0 minutes |
The same article is 4 to 8 minutes — a factor of 2 — and that factor is identical whatever the length, because it is just the ratio of the two speeds. The exactness of the word count is real and contributes nothing.
Both inputs matter equally, and only one is known
Since the estimate is a ratio, a 10% error in either input moves the answer by the same amount:
| A 10% error in… | Gives |
|---|---|
| the word count | 5.40 to 6.60 minutes |
| the reading speed | 5.45 to 6.67 minutes |
Identical sensitivity. The difference is that one input is counted and the other is guessed — and the guess is wrong by far more than 10% for most individual readers.
The obvious retreat is to read it as a rough class rather than a number. That helps less than it sounds: testing four sample lengths at both ends of the speed range, only one keeps the same class. An 800-word piece is a medium read at 200 words a minute and a short read at 300. Treat “about six minutes” as more useful than “1,200 words” — which it genuinely is — without treating either as solid.
How to use
- Paste your text.
- Read the silent and spoken estimates.
- Adjust the speed if you know your audience.
- Rehearse anything timed rather than trusting the figure.
Frequently asked questions
What reading speeds are used?
Around 200 to 250 words per minute for silent reading of ordinary prose, and 130 to 150 for speaking aloud at a comfortable pace. Speaking is slower because of articulation and pauses, which is why a script that reads quickly still overruns when delivered.
How accurate is the estimate?
For general prose, reasonable. For anything else, loose. Technical material, unfamiliar vocabulary and dense argument are read far more slowly, and readers pause to reread in ways no word count captures. Treat it as a rough band rather than a duration.
Does it account for images and code?
Not by word count alone, and both change the figure substantially. A reader spends time on a diagram that contributes no words, and code blocks are read line by line rather than scanned. Long technical articles are routinely underestimated for exactly this reason.
Is speed reading real?
Comprehension falls as speed rises, and studies of speed-reading claims have consistently found that the gains come from skimming rather than from faster reading. Skimming is a genuinely useful skill; it is not the same as reading quickly, and it should not be treated as such.
How long should a talk's script be?
At about 140 words per minute, a ten-minute talk is roughly 1,400 words — and most people should write fewer. Nerves speed delivery up, questions eat time, and a script written to exactly fill the slot almost always overruns. Rehearsing aloud with a timer is the only reliable check.
Why do blogs show reading time at all?
Because it helps readers decide whether to start now or save for later, and it measurably improves engagement. It is an estimate offered as a courtesy rather than a promise, which is worth remembering before treating the number as precise.
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