Reading Time Calculator
Estimate reading time for different audiences with detailed text analysis, readability scores, and WPM benchmarks.
Free & unlimitedWorks offline
Reading speed238 WPM
80 (slow)238 (avg)500 (fast)
Audience presets
Tips: Average adult reading speed is 238 WPM. The Flesch score ranges 0-100 (higher is easier). Aim for 60-70 for general audiences. Blog posts perform best at 1000-2000 words.
All processing happens in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
About this tool
- 1
Paste your content
Drop your article, blog post, or script into the text area.
- 2
View reading stats
Instantly see estimated reading time, word count, sentence count, and average sentence length.
- 3
Adjust reading speed
Change the words-per-minute setting to match your target audience (default is 238 WPM for adults).
- 4
Use the estimate
Add the reading time to your blog header or newsletter preview to set reader expectations.
- The average adult reads at about 238 words per minute; technical content is closer to 200 WPM.
- Articles with a displayed reading time see higher completion rates - readers like knowing what to expect.
- For presentations, estimate speaking time at about 130 words per minute instead.
- Shorter paragraphs and sentences reduce perceived reading time even at the same word count.
- Instant reading time calculation based on configurable WPM
- Word, sentence, paragraph, and syllable counts
- Average words per sentence and readability indicators
- Speaking time estimate for presentations and podcasts
- Handles pasted Markdown and plain text
- Display estimated reading time on blog posts and articles
- Plan presentation length by estimating speaking duration
- Gauge newsletter length before sending to subscribers
- Evaluate whether a draft meets a word-count target for assignments
The default is 238 words per minute, which is the average silent reading speed for adults according to research meta-analyses.
The tool counts visible text words. If your article includes images, add roughly 12 seconds per image to the estimate.
Yes. Copy the estimated time and add it to your article header. Many CMS themes support a "reading time" field directly.
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