Reading Time Estimator
Estimate how long it takes to read any text. Choose audience reading speed: slow, general, fast, skim, or custom WPM.
Enter text
Reading speed
Reading time
14 sec
238 WPM · 56 words
Speaking time
26 sec
at 130 WPM (normal pace)
Audiobook duration
22 sec
at 155 WPM (audiobook avg)
Words
56
Characters
352
Sentences
4
Paragraphs
1
Reading Time Estimator
The Reading Time Estimator calculates how long it takes to read any text at different audience speeds.
Average reading speeds (words per minute)
- Slow / careful reading: 150 WPM — technical or academic content
- Average adult: 238 WPM — most blog and news content (Brysbaert 2019 meta-analysis)
- Fast reader: 300 WPM — practised readers
- Skim reading: 450 WPM — scanning for key points
Why publish reading time?
Showing "5 min read" on articles helps readers decide whether to invest the time. Medium pioneered the practice and saw measurable improvements in engagement and completion rates.