Reading time calculator
Paste your word count and reading speed to find out how long your article, essay, or book chapter takes to read.
Estimated reading time
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How to use
- Enter the word count of your text.
- Adjust reading speed (WPM) if needed — 238 is the adult silent-reading average.
- The estimated time appears in minutes and seconds.
Formula
Reading time (seconds) = round(word count / WPM × 60)
Common benchmarks
| Content type | Typical words | Time at 238 WPM |
|---|---|---|
| Tweet / post | 30 | 8 sec |
| Blog post | 1,000 | 4 min |
| Long-form article | 2,500 | 10 min |
| Short story | 10,000 | 42 min |
| Novel | 80,000 | 5.6 hr |
Reading speeds by context
Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis pulled together 190 experiments. Speed varies widely with content and activity:
| Activity | Typical WPM |
|---|---|
| Skimming (headlines, summaries) | 400–700 |
| Silent reading, casual | 238 |
| Silent reading, technical / dense | 150–200 |
| Reading aloud | 183 |
| ESL / second language | 100–200 |
| Typical audiobook narration | 150–160 |
Worked example — a 1,800-word newsletter
- At 238 WPM: 1,800 / 238 × 60 = 454 seconds ≈ 7 min 34 sec
- At 300 WPM (a fast reader): 1,800 / 300 × 60 = 360 seconds = 6 min
- At 180 WPM (dense / technical): 1,800 / 180 × 60 = 600 seconds = 10 min
The “X min read” label at the top of most blog posts uses 200–265 WPM — that’s where our default comes from.
Notes
- Silent ≠ aloud — reading aloud is slower (about 183 WPM on average). Podcasts and audiobooks add pauses and intonation, bringing them down to 150–160.
- Comprehension drops above ~400 WPM — at skimming speed you’re pattern-matching headlines, not absorbing detail. Real comprehension peaks near average speed.
- Source: Brysbaert M. How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language. 2019.
Frequently asked
What is the average reading speed?
Research by Brysbaert (2019) measured average adult silent reading at 238 words per minute. Children and ESL readers typically read slower; speed readers can exceed 400 WPM.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time = word count ÷ words per minute. The result is rounded to the nearest second.
How long does it take to read a novel?
A typical 80,000-word novel takes about 336 minutes (roughly 5.6 hours) at 238 WPM.
How long does it take to read a blog post?
A 1,000-word blog post takes about 4 minutes at average reading speed.
How do I share this calculation?
Click "Share with my numbers" to copy a URL that restores your word count and WPM.