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Estimate reading and speaking time for any text.
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Reading Time Calculator estimates how long a piece of text takes to read and to say out loud. Paste an article, essay or script and it counts the words, then shows four reading profiles side by side: Careful at 160 words per minute, Average at 220, Fast at 300, and a Custom pace you set with a slider from 120 to 380 WPM. Speaking time uses 130 WPM, a simple baseline for talks and voice-overs, and word and sentence counts are shown too. Copy result gives a one-line summary at your custom pace. The text is analysed in your browser and never uploaded.
Paste your text
Paste it into Source text, or load the Article, Documentation or Speech example.
Set a custom pace
Drag Custom reading speed between 120 and 380 WPM if your readers are slower or faster than average.
Read the estimates
Compare the Careful, Average, Fast and Custom times with speaking time, then press Copy result for a one-line summary.
The word count is divided by a reading speed in words per minute. A 1,100-word article at the average pace of 220 WPM, for example, takes 5 minutes.
Adult reading speed for everyday prose is often quoted at around 200–250 words per minute, which is why 220 WPM is used as the average. Technical or unfamiliar material is slower, so the Careful profile uses 160 WPM.
At the 130 WPM speaking pace used here, about 7 minutes 42 seconds. Natural pace varies from speaker to speaker, so rehearse with a timer for anything time-critical.
Yes. Reading Time Calculator is completely free, with no account, no paywall, and no usage limits.
No. Reading Time Calculator works instantly in any modern web browser — there is no software to install, no extension, and no sign-up.