How to use the reading time calculator
- Paste your text. The reading time appears immediately using the default of 200 words per minute.
- Pick a preset (150, 200, 250 or 300 wpm) or type any speed to match your audience.
- Check speaking time (130 wpm) if the text is a speech, podcast segment or video script.
- If your text has Markdown or HTML headings, use the per-section list to see which parts are longest, then copy the summary.
Features
- Reading time at any words-per-minute figure, with common presets
- Speaking time at a typical 130 wpm presenting pace
- Word, character, sentence and paragraph counts, plus average sentence length
- Per-section estimates from # Markdown, underlined and <h1>–<h6> headings
- One-click copy of a “5 min read · 1,100 words” summary
Choosing a reading speed
Adults reading English prose silently average roughly 200 to 250 words per minute. Technical or unfamiliar material slows people to 150 or below, while skimming a familiar topic can exceed 300. Publishing platforms mostly use figures between 200 and 265, which is why the same article can show slightly different read times on different sites. If you're labelling your own content, pick one figure and use it consistently.
Speaking is slower: presenters and narrators typically sit between 120 and 150 words per minute, so a 1,300-word script is about a ten-minute talk.
Why show reading time at all
A short “6 min read” label sets expectations and tends to improve completion, because readers can decide up front whether to commit. It is also useful for planning: editors use it to balance newsletters, teachers to size assignments, and speakers to fit a script into a time slot.