Reading Time Calculator
Paste your text for an estimated reading time at any words-per-minute speed, plus a separate estimate for reading aloud.
How it works
Reading time is the word count divided by a reading speed. The default of 225 words per minute is a common average for adults reading ordinary prose silently; technical or unfamiliar material runs slower, so lower the figure when the text is dense.
Speaking is slower than reading. The aloud estimate uses 130 words per minute, roughly the pace of a clear presentation — which is why a script that reads in two minutes takes closer to four to deliver.
The formula
Reading time
minutes = word count ÷ words per minute
Speaking time
minutes = word count ÷ 130
Worked examples
| Scenario | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A 1,000-word article | 1000 ÷ 225 | About 4 min 27 sec |
| The same article read aloud | 1000 ÷ 130 | About 7 min 42 sec |
| A 5-minute conference talk | 5 × 130 | Around 650 words of script |
When you'd use it
- Adding a “5 min read” label to an article
- Checking a talk fits its slot before you rehearse
- Sizing a voiceover script to a video length
- Setting expectations on a long internal document
Common questions
What reading speed should I use?
225 words per minute suits general prose. Use 150–180 for technical, legal or academic writing, and 250–300 for light, familiar material. Change the field and everything recalculates.
Why is the speaking estimate so much longer?
Speech carries pauses, emphasis and breathing that silent reading does not. 130 words per minute is a comfortable presentation pace; rushing past 160 tends to lose an audience.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole tool runs in your browser, so what you paste never leaves your device. That matters when the text is a draft, a transcript or anything covered by an NDA.