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Reading Time Calculator
Paste your text (or just enter a word count) and pick a reading speed to find out how long it takes to read — or to read aloud. Useful for blog posts, speeches, essays, and whole books.
How it works
Reading time = word count ÷ reading speed. Words are counted by splitting on whitespace (or taken from the word-count box when no text is pasted). Speeds: slow 150, average 200, fast 250, speed reader 300 words per minute — or enter your own. A printed page holds roughly 250 words, so pages = words ÷ 250. Worked example: 1,000 words at the average 200 wpm → 1,000 ÷ 200 = 5 minutes exactly; at 250 wpm it is 4 minutes. Book check: a 50,000-word novel at 200 wpm → 50,000 ÷ 200 = 250 minutes = 4 hours 10 minutes, or about 200 pages. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a typical presentation pace: that same 1,000-word text takes 1,000 ÷ 130 ≈ 7 minutes 42 seconds to read aloud.
Frequently asked questions
What is an average reading speed?
About 200 words per minute for silent reading of ordinary prose. Dense academic or technical text is typically read at 100–150 wpm, while light fiction can run 250–300 wpm.
Why is speaking time longer?
People speak at roughly 130–150 words per minute, well below silent reading speed, because pronunciation and pauses take time. A 10-minute speech is about 1,300 words.
How many words are on a page?
Roughly 250 words for a standard paperback page (double-spaced manuscript pages are also about 250 words, which is why publishers use that figure).
Does this include time for pictures or pauses?
No — it is pure reading time. Add time for studying diagrams, taking notes, or re-reading difficult passages.
How do I measure my own speed?
Read a passage of known length (say 500 words) and time yourself: speed = words ÷ minutes. Enter that number in the custom-speed box for a personal estimate.