Reading Time
Estimates how long a text takes to read — silently, and aloud — from its word and character counts. Paste the text and the durations appear, based on typical adult reading speeds.
How to use
- Paste the text.
- Read the silent-reading and read-aloud estimates, with word and character counts.
- For a talk, use the aloud figure — it is the one that fits a speaking slot.
- Cut or expand until the estimate matches your time budget.
When you actually need this
- Fitting a speech or presentation script into a fixed slot.
- Adding a "6 min read" label to an article the way major publications do.
- Timing a video script or podcast intro before recording.
- Judging whether a newsletter has grown too long before sending.
Where the estimate comes from
Silent reading for adults on ordinary prose runs around 200 to 250 words per minute — the range reading studies consistently report — and that is the base rate here. Technical content, tables and unfamiliar terms slow it substantially; skimming multiplies it. Reading aloud is slower, around 130 to 150 words per minute, because breathing and emphasis take time — plan spoken text at roughly one and a half times the silent estimate. Treat the figure as a budget, not a promise: it predicts a typical reader, and your audience's mix of skimmers and studiers will land around it, not on it.
Related tools
FAQ
What reading speed does Reading Time assume?
The estimate is based on roughly 200 to 250 words per minute for silent reading of ordinary prose, which is the range most studies report for adults. Technical or unfamiliar material is slower, and skimming is considerably faster.
Does Reading Time estimate reading aloud as well as silent reading?
Reading aloud runs slower than reading silently, typically 130 to 150 words per minute at a comfortable presentation pace. If you are timing a speech, a podcast intro or a video script, plan for roughly one and a half times the silent reading estimate.
How is reading time calculated for Korean, Japanese and Chinese?
Those languages are measured in characters rather than words, because there are no spaces between words. The estimate uses a characters-per-minute rate appropriate to each script, so a Japanese text and its English translation give comparable times.