Reading Time Calculator
Paste your text or enter a word count to estimate reading time at slow, average, and fast reading speeds.
How to use the reading time calculator
Switch between two modes using the toggle at the top of the tool. In “Paste text” mode, type or paste your content and the reading time updates live. In “Enter word count” mode, type a number directly — useful when you know your target length but haven't written the content yet.
Click any pace card to set your audience's reading speed. The content type dropdown adjusts the average WPM for technical or specialist text.
How reading time is calculated
Reading time = word count ÷ words per minute. The default rate of 238 wpm is the median from a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 empirical reading studies (Brysbaert, 2019). Results are shown as minutes and seconds for times under 10 minutes, and hours and minutes for longer texts.
Why reading time matters for content
Readers decide whether to commit to an article within the first few seconds. Showing a reading time estimate in your post header sets expectations and reduces bounce rate. Research by Medium found that posts with a 7-minute read time (around 1600 words) achieve peak engagement. For email newsletters, keeping read time under 3 minutes significantly improves completion rates.
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute does the average person read?
The most widely cited research is a 2019 meta-analysis (Brysbaert, 2019) that puts the average silent reading speed at 238 words per minute for adults reading in their native language. Older tools often use 200–250 wpm. For technical content with code or equations, 100–150 wpm is more realistic.
How long does it take to read a 1,000-word article?
At 238 wpm (average adult), a 1,000-word article takes about 4 minutes 12 seconds. At 150 wpm (slow reader or technical content), it's around 6 minutes 40 seconds. At 350 wpm (fast reader), roughly 2 minutes 51 seconds.
How long does it take to read a 2,000-word article?
At average reading speed (238 wpm), a 2,000-word article takes approximately 8 minutes 24 seconds. Blog posts targeting the 'long-form SEO' range of 1,500–2,500 words typically have reading times between 6 and 11 minutes.
What reading speed should I use for a blog post estimate?
Use the 'Average reader' preset (238 wpm) for general blog content. If the article contains code snippets, data tables, or technical instructions, switch to the 'Technical content' preset (150 wpm) — readers slow down significantly when processing code.
Does word count or reading time matter more for SEO?
Neither is a direct ranking factor. What matters is whether the content satisfies the reader's intent. That said, reading time is a useful proxy for depth — an 8–12 minute read (around 2,000–2,800 words) tends to perform well for competitive informational queries because it signals comprehensive coverage. Use reading time to sense-check your content length against what competitors are publishing.
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