Reading Time Calculator
Paste a blog post, lesson, or script and get an accurate “X min read” estimate — or work out how long it’ll take to speak the same words out loud for a video or webinar.
Paste your text
Nothing you paste here is uploaded or stored — it’s counted right in your browser.
Reading (or speaking) speed
Pick the closest match, or set a custom words-per-minute rate.
| Word count | Reading time |
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How reading time is calculated
Reading time estimates come down to one number that does all the work: words per minute (WPM). Research on silent reading speed for adults commonly cites an average in the 200-260 WPM range, with 238 WPM frequently used as a rough middle-ground figure — which is the default this calculator starts with. But that average hides a lot of variation: a technical tutorial with code snippets reads much slower than a casual opinion piece, and a reader skimming for the main point moves faster than one studying to retain the material.
A 1,200-word blog post at the average 238 WPM reading speed takes about 5 minutes to read (1,200 ÷ 238 ≈ 5.04). Most blogs round that to a “5 min read” label. The same 1,200 words read aloud at a typical speaking pace of 140 WPM would take about 8.5 minutes — useful to know if you’re turning that post into a video script or webinar.
Why “X min read” labels matter for content
Setting expectations upfront with a reading-time label is a small thing that does real work: it lets a reader decide whether they have time right now, which can reduce bounce rate from people who click through and immediately leave when the piece turns out to be longer than they expected. It’s also a quiet signal to search engines about content depth — a 12-minute in-depth guide and a 2-minute quick-answer post are serving different search intents, and an accurate label helps the right reader self-select into the right piece.
Reading speed vs. speaking speed — why they’re different
Silent reading and speaking happen at very different paces, which matters a lot if you’re repurposing written content into video, podcast, or webinar form. Average conversational speaking pace runs roughly 130-160 WPM — noticeably slower than silent reading — because speech includes pauses, emphasis, and natural pacing that reading doesn’t. If you’re estimating how long a script will take to record, use the “Speaking (script/video)” preset in this calculator rather than a reading-speed number, or you’ll consistently under-estimate your run time.
Frequently asked questions
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Jeff Cobb, Founder of Learning Revolution
Jeff Cobb is an expert in online education and the business of adult lifelong learning. Over the past 20+ years he has built a thriving career based on that expertise – as an entrepreneur, a consultant, an author, and a speaker. Learning Revolution is a place where Jeff curates tips, insights, and resources to help you build a thriving expertise-based business. Learn more about Jeff Cobb here.