Reading time calculator
Paste text and get an estimated reading time based on typical speeds, rounded to the nearest second.
Paste text or enter a word count to see the estimate.
How the reading time estimate works
The tool counts whitespace-separated words and estimates duration at 150, 238 and 350 words per minute. It rounds each result to the nearest second. The middle value, 238 WPM, is the average adult English non-fiction reading rate reported in Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis. The other two values are reference speeds for comparing a slower and faster pace, not predictions about a particular reader.
What this reading time calculator does not account for
- 150/238/350 are three fixed reference points, not your measured speed. Your actual pace depends on the text, on how well you know the subject, and on whether you are skimming or reading every word.
- Code blocks, tables, and equations take longer to parse than prose. The calculator counts their words at the same rate as everything else.
- It counts words, not reading difficulty. A 500-word legal clause takes longer than a 500-word blog post, and this tool will give both the same number.
- If you already know your own reading speed — from the words per minute calculator on this site — the reading speed calculator lets you enter that exact number instead of picking between three fixed tiers.
Questions about reading time
Where does the 238 WPM number come from?
Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis reported an average of 238 words per minute for adult silent reading of English non-fiction. It is a population average, not a measurement of your pace. The author summarizes the finding here: https://users.ugent.be/~wduyck/articles/BrysbaertSuiDuyckDirixInPress.pdf
Is the text sent anywhere?
No. The word count is computed in your browser. The text never leaves your device, and there is no server to send it to.
Why does this page show three speeds instead of one?
Three reference speeds make the assumption visible: 150, 238 and 350 WPM produce different estimates for the same text. They are not a confidence interval. If you have measured your own pace, the reading speed calculator offers a slider from 100 to 600 WPM.
Does it work for languages other than English?
It splits on whitespace, so it works for any language that separates words with spaces. For Chinese, Japanese, or other scripts that do not use spaces between words, the count will be wrong.
