Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long a text takes to read from its word count or page count at slow, average (238 wpm), fast or custom speeds — plus the time to read it aloud.
Reading Time Calculator: with the default inputs, reading time is 6 min.
Used in 'word count' mode.
Used in 'pages' mode.
- Reading time in minutes
- 6.3
- Read aloud / speech time
- 12 minAt 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace.
- Words
- 1,500
- Pages
- 5
- Speed used
- 238words per minute
Assumptions
- Speeds are averages for silent reading of ordinary prose; technical material is slower.
- Read-aloud time uses 130 words per minute, a clear presentation pace.
- Page densities are typical values; check a real page of your document.
| Reader | Words/min | Time | Pages/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| slow / careful | 150 | 10 min | 30 |
| average adult | 238 | 6 min | 48 |
| fast | 300 | 5 min | 60 |
| skimming | 450 | 3 min | 90 |
| read aloud | 130 | 12 min | 26 |
| Text | Words | Silent | Aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tweet-length paragraph | 50 | 13 sec | 23 sec |
| News article | 800 | 3 min | 6 min |
| Long-form feature | 4,000 | 17 min | 31 min |
| Short story | 7,500 | 32 min | 58 min |
| Novella | 30,000 | 2 h 6 min | 3 h 51 min |
| Typical novel | 90,000 | 6 h 18 min | 11 h 32 min |
| Long epic novel | 250,000 | 17 h 30 min | 32 h 3 min |
How this is worked out
The formula
reading time (min) = words ÷ words per minute words = pages × words per page speech time (min) = words ÷ 130
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Enter the length as
- Choose one of 2 options.Word count · Pages
- Word count
- Used in 'word count' mode.0 or more · whole numbers only · defaults to 1500
- Pages
- Used in 'pages' mode.0 or more · defaults to 10
- Words per page
- Choose one of 5 options.250 — double-spaced manuscript · 300 — typical paperback / novel · 400 — dense trade paperback · 500 — single-spaced A4/Letter · 600 — academic journal / textbook
- Reading speed
- Choose one of 5 options.Slow — 150 wpm (technical, second language) · Average — 238 wpm (adult, non-fiction) · Fast — 300 wpm · Skimming — 450 wpm · Custom
- Custom speed(under More options)
- Used when reading speed is set to Custom.from 1 to 5000 · whole numbers only · defaults to 200
What you get back
- Reading timemain answer
- Reading time in minutes
- Read aloud / speech time
- At 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace.
- Words
- Pages
- Speed used
- words per minute
What this assumes
- Speeds are averages for silent reading of ordinary prose; technical material is slower.
- Read-aloud time uses 130 words per minute, a clear presentation pace.
- Page densities are typical values; check a real page of your document.
About this calculator
Divide the words by your reading speed and you have the time. The hard part is the speed: the best modern estimate, from a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies, puts the average adult at about 238 words per minute for silent reading of non-fiction (260 for fiction), well below the 300 wpm that many online tools assume. Choose the reader profile that fits, or set a custom speed once you've timed yourself on a page.
How to use it
Enter the word count directly — word processors and most CMSs show it — or a page count with the right words-per-page density. A double-spaced manuscript page holds about 250 words, a paperback 300, a single-spaced Letter/A4 page around 500, and dense academic layouts 600 or more. The default profile is the average adult; "slow" suits technical material, legal text or reading in a second language, and "skimming" is for getting the gist.
Reading aloud and speeches
Speaking is slower than reading. Audiobook narration runs about 150–160 wpm; presenters who want to be understood aim for 120–150. The calculator uses 130 wpm for the read aloud figure, so a 1,500-word talk runs about 11½ minutes — plan on 130 words per minute of slot, less if you pause for slides or questions.
Reading the results
- Reading time rounds to the minute (or seconds under a minute).
- Pages/hour in the table lets you plan a book: at 238 wpm a 300-word-per-page novel goes by at about 48 pages an hour, so a 350-page book is a 7–8 hour read.
- Comprehension falls as speed rises. Skimming at 450 wpm is fine for a newsletter, not for a contract.
Factors that change the number
Vocabulary difficulty, font size and line length, screen versus paper (paper is a little faster for most people), fatigue, and how often you re-read a sentence. Technical text with equations or code can drop effective speed below 100 wpm. When the stakes are high, time yourself on two pages and enter that as a custom speed.
Frequently asked questions
▸How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes for an average adult (238 wpm), 3½ minutes at 300 wpm, and roughly 7½ minutes read aloud.
▸How long does it take to read 10 pages?
Around 12–13 minutes for a typical paperback (300 words a page) at 238 wpm, or about 20 minutes for dense single-spaced pages of 500 words.
▸What is the average reading speed?
Roughly 238 words per minute for adults reading non-fiction silently, and about 260 for fiction, according to Brysbaert's 2019 meta-analysis. Reading aloud averages around 180 wpm; comfortable speech is 120–150.
▸How many words is a 5-minute speech?
About 650 words at 130 wpm. A 10-minute talk is about 1,300 words; a 20-minute talk about 2,600. Leave room for pauses.
▸How can I measure my own reading speed?
Time yourself reading a page of known word count at your normal pace for comprehension, divide the words by the minutes, and enter the result as a custom speed.
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