Free Tool
Reading Time Calculator
How long will this take to read? Paste the text or enter the word count, set a reading speed, and this calculator gives you the time in minutes — the number every article estimate is built on.
Estimates and scenarios for planning purposes only — not financial advice. The results on this page are built from the numbers you enter. They are planning aids, not predictions, and not financial, tax or legal advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
What this tool does
Reading time is word count divided by reading speed in words per minute. A 1,000-word article at 200 words per minute takes 5 minutes. The result is rounded up to the nearest minute, because an article that takes 5 minutes and 10 seconds is a 6-minute read in practice, not a 5-minute one.
The reading speed is yours to set. The default of 200 words per minute is a common reading-speed assumption for average adult readers, labelled as an assumption — not a fact about your readers. Skimming, dense technical text and a second language all change the real speed, in either direction.
Try it
Waiting. Enter a word count or paste text and press Calculate reading time.
How it works
Minutes = words ÷ words per minute, rounded up to the next whole minute. Word count comes from the pasted text when you paste any — text is split on whitespace — or from the number you type when you do not. The default speed of 200 words per minute is a labelled assumption, not a measured fact about any particular reader.
Seconds are shown alongside the rounded minutes so you can see what the rounding did: 5 minutes 10 seconds becomes a 6-minute estimate, which is the honest number to show a reader.
Assumptions and limitations
- Reading speed varies widely: dense or technical writing, a second language, and reading on a phone all slow people down, while skimming speeds them up. A single minutes figure is an estimate, and it is wrong for any individual reader by design.
- The counter counts words by splitting on whitespace. It does not count images, tables, code or video, all of which take time too — a page with a 5-minute reading time and a 10-minute video takes longer than 5 minutes to get through.
Worked example
Example: a 1,000-word article at 200 words per minute takes 1,000 ÷ 200 = 5 minutes exactly (300 seconds).
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute should I use?
200 is the common assumption for average adult reading, and it is the default here. Use 150 for dense or technical text, or when your readers are likely reading in a second language; use 250 or more for light, skimmable text.
Why round up to the next minute?
Because a 5-minute-10-second read is a 6-minute commitment for the reader. Rounding down would promise less time than the article actually takes.
Does the counter include images and video?
No. It counts words only. A page with a 5-minute reading time and a long video takes longer than 5 minutes — say so separately if the video matters.
Why does pasted text override the word count?
Because the pasted text is the actual content. The number field is for when you already know the count and do not want to paste — if both are given, the text wins.
Is 200 words per minute a fact?
No — it is a widely used assumption, labelled as one. Real reading speeds vary from under 100 to over 400 words per minute depending on the reader and the text.