Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long it takes to read or speak any article or text.
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Quick Tip
Paste your article, essay or script into the box.
About This Tool
Why use Reading Time Calculator?
Paste text and this tool estimates how long it takes to read silently and to speak aloud, alongside word, character, sentence and paragraph counts. The default reading speed is adjustable; 200 to 250 words per minute is typical for adults reading non-technical prose.
Speaking is slower — the tool uses about 65% of the reading speed, which lands near 130 words a minute and matches the usual advice for presentations. That makes a 1,300-word speech roughly ten minutes. Dense or technical material slows both figures, so treat the result as a planning estimate and read a section aloud to check.
Key Benefits
Reading and speaking times
Two different speeds, because a talk always takes longer than reading the same text.
Adjustable speed
Set words per minute to match your audience instead of accepting one fixed figure.
Full text statistics
Words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, which covers most editorial requirements.
How to use Reading Time Calculator
- 1
Paste your article, essay or script into the box.
- 2
Adjust the reading speed if your audience reads faster or slower than average.
- 3
Read the silent reading time and the speaking time.
- 4
Use the word and sentence counts to check length against a brief.
Best use cases
Add a "5 min read" label to a blog post.
Check whether a speech fits a time slot.
Size an essay or article against a word limit.
Estimate how long a script will run in a video.
Reading Time Calculator FAQs
What is the average reading speed?
Around 200–250 words per minute for adults reading general prose. Technical material is slower, often 100–150.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About four to five minutes silently at 200–250 wpm, and around seven to eight minutes read aloud.
How many words is a five-minute speech?
Roughly 650 words at a comfortable speaking pace of 130 words per minute. Slow down for emphasis and it can be fewer.
Why is speaking time longer than reading time?
Speech includes pauses, breaths and emphasis, so it runs at roughly two thirds of silent reading speed.
Related Everyday Tools
More free everyday tools that work well alongside reading time calculator.