Find out how long your text takes to read and speak — instantly
A reading time calculator estimates how long it takes an average person to read a piece of text. It counts the words in your text and divides them by a typical reading speed to give you a time in minutes and seconds.
Reading time is calculated by dividing the total number of words by a reading speed measured in words per minute (WPM). For example, 500 words at 250 WPM takes about 2 minutes. This tool also shows speaking time, which uses a slower speed because people speak more slowly than they read.
A slow reader reads around 200 words per minute, an average reader around 250 WPM, and a fast reader around 300 WPM or more. Speaking aloud is much slower, typically about 130 words per minute, which is why presentations take longer than silent reading.
Students use it to plan study and reading sessions, bloggers and content creators use it to add "X min read" labels to articles, and public speakers use it to time their speeches and presentations before going on stage.