OTHER · READING TIME CALCULATOR — HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO READ?
Reading Time Calculator — How Long Will It Take to Read?
Find out exactly how long it takes to read any piece of text. Enter the word count and your reading speed to get an estimated reading time in minutes and seconds.
About This Calculator
Ever glanced at an article and wondered "how long will this take?" This calculator gives you an instant answer. Enter the word count and your reading speed to see the estimated reading time broken down in hours, minutes, and seconds.
How It Works
Enter the total number of words (you can usually find this in your document editor or by selecting all text and checking the word count) and your reading speed in words per minute (WPM). The average adult reads about 238 WPM — use the quick presets or enter your own. The calculator divides the word count by your speed to get the time.
The Formula
totalSeconds = wordCount / wpm × 60
- wordCount
- Total number of words in the text
- wpm
- Reading speed in words per minute
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the average reading speed?
- The median adult reads at about 238 words per minute (WPM) for non-fiction text, according to research by Rayner et al. (2016, Psychological Science in the Public Interest). Silent reading for comprehension is typically 200–250 WPM; skimming can reach 400–700 WPM but with reduced comprehension.
- How do I find the word count of my document?
- In Microsoft Word, go to Review → Word Count. In Google Docs, go to Tools → Word Count. For web pages, you can select all text and paste it into a document, or use a browser extension.
- Does the calculator account for difficult or technical content?
- No — this is a simple estimate based on word count and speed. Technical, scientific, or highly unfamiliar content naturally takes longer to process. Adjust your WPM down (150–180 WPM is typical for dense academic text) to get a more realistic estimate.
- How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
- At the average reading speed of 238 WPM, 1,000 words takes about 4 minutes and 12 seconds. A typical 2,000-word blog post takes around 8–9 minutes.
- What about audiobooks or podcasts?
- The average audiobook narration speed is 150–165 WPM; podcasts vary. A 238-WPM reading pace will be about 1.5× faster than most audiobook narrators.