Category: Calculators
Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long an article takes to read
Paste an article or any block of text to see its word count and an estimated reading time at a chosen words-per-minute pace.
Based on a steady reading speed with no pauses. Average adult silent reading speed is roughly 200 to 250 words per minute; slower for dense or technical text, faster for skimming.
Everything on this page is processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
What this tool does
Reading time is a word count divided by a reading speed. This tool counts words in your browser as you paste or type, and converts that into minutes and seconds at whatever pace you set, which is useful for blog posts, newsletters and estimated 'read time' labels.
How to use it
- Paste or type the text you want to time.
- Adjust the reading speed if the default of 200 words per minute doesn't match your audience.
- Read the estimated time and word count underneath.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input is never uploaded, stored or shared — closing the tab removes it.
Frequently asked questions
- What reading speed should I use?
- Roughly 200 to 250 words per minute is typical for adult silent reading of general text. Technical or dense material is usually slower, and skimming is faster.
- Does formatting like headings or code blocks affect the count?
- No, every whitespace-separated chunk of text is counted as one word, regardless of formatting. For text with a lot of code or tables, treat the estimate as a rough guide rather than exact.
- Is my text uploaded anywhere?
- No. The word count and time are computed by your browser as you type, and the text never leaves the page.