Reading Time Estimator

How long any text takes to read silently and to read aloud.

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Paste any text and instantly see how long it takes to read — both silently and aloud. It is useful for sizing blog posts, planning speeches, and timing video or podcast scripts so you hit a target length.

How it works

The tool counts the words in your text, then divides by a reading speed in words per minute to get a time. It computes two estimates from the same word count: a silent reading time at a default of 238 wpm (a widely cited average for adult silent reading) and a read-aloud time at a default of 130 wpm (typical clear speaking pace). Both speeds are adjustable, so you can match a particular audience or content type. The times are formatted as minutes and seconds.

Example

A 1,000-word article at the defaults:

  • Silent reading: 1000 ÷ 238 ≈ 4.2 minutes → about 4 min 12 sec
  • Read aloud: 1000 ÷ 130 ≈ 7.7 minutes → about 7 min 41 sec
Word countSilent (238 wpm)Aloud (130 wpm)
250~1 min~1 min 55 sec
500~2 min 6 sec~3 min 51 sec
1,000~4 min 12 sec~7 min 41 sec

Everything runs in your browser — your text is never uploaded.

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