Reading time calculator
Turns your word count into reading and speaking time at several speeds.
Paste your text and press the button. You get how long it takes to read silently, to read slowly, and to say aloud — because those are very different numbers and the one you need depends on what the text is for.
Why several speeds, not one
A single "reading time" figure is misleading, because reading and speaking happen at different rates and audiences vary.
Silent reading for an average adult runs about 200 to 250 words per minute. This is the number for a blog post or an article — how long a reader spends on your page.
Speaking aloud is much slower, around 130 words per minute, because you have to actually pronounce every word and breathe. This is the number that matters for a speech, a presentation, a video script or a voiceover, and getting it wrong is how a "five minute talk" runs to nine.
The slower figures cover harder material and less fluent readers — technical text, a second language, a young audience.
The number people most often get wrong
Timing a talk. You write what feels like a short script, it reads fine in your head in three minutes, and on stage it takes seven, because in your head you were reading silently at more than twice speaking speed. The rule of thumb worth memorising: roughly 130 words per minute spoken, so about 1,300 words for a ten-minute talk and 750 for a TED-style opener. Paste your script here and the speaking figure gives you the real length before you are standing in front of anyone.
Uses
- "X min read" labels on articles and newsletters.
- Timing speeches, presentations and toasts to fit a slot.
- Video and podcast scripts — matching narration to a target length.
- Estimating study or review time for a set of material.
- Voiceover and audiobook planning, where recorded minutes drive cost.
The word count itself, with characters and more, is on the word counter. To break a long script into timed sections, split it into chunks by word count.
Doing it without this tool
By hand: word count divided by 200 for reading, by 130 for speaking. Simple once you remember the numbers, which is exactly what a calculator saves you.
Word: gives a word count but no time estimate.
Teleprompter apps show speaking time but need the text loaded into them first.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded — open DevTools, Network tab, and you will see zero requests while you use this tool.
How to use it
- Paste your text into the box.
- Press "Calculate reading time".
- Use the silent-reading figure for articles, the speaking figure for talks and scripts.
- For a talk, aim at roughly 130 words per minute and check against your time slot.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
From the word count at 200 words per minute for silent reading, which is the average adult speed. Slower figures at 130 and 100 words per minute cover harder material and less fluent readers.
Because you pronounce every word and pause to breathe. Speaking runs about 130 words per minute against 200 or more for silent reading, so a script always takes longer aloud than it feels in your head.
About 1,300 at a normal speaking pace of 130 words per minute. A five-minute talk is roughly 650. Paste your script to get the exact figure.
The silent-reading figure at 200 words per minute is the usual basis for article read-time labels.
No, only the words in the text you paste. Add time separately for anything a reader stops to look at.