Tool
Reading Time Calculator
Paste any article, essay, or script. Pick a reading speed — skim, normal, careful, or spoken aloud — and see the time it takes. Useful for blog posts, video scripts, and audiobook estimates.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical reading speed in words per minute?
The average adult reads at 230 words per minute silently and about 130 wpm when speaking aloud. Skim reading hits 400-500 wpm but sacrifices comprehension. Careful study reading drops to 150-180 wpm for technical content. This tool lets you pick the speed that matches your audience.
How long is a 1,000-word article to read?
At the average 230 wpm, a 1,000-word article takes about 4 minutes 20 seconds to read silently. At a careful 160 wpm, it takes 6 minutes 15 seconds. Spoken aloud at 130 wpm, it runs about 7 minutes 40 seconds — useful for podcast or video script timing.
Why do different blogs report different reading times for the same article?
Most platforms use different default reading speeds. Medium uses 265 wpm. Substack uses 200 wpm. WordPress plugins often default to 200 or 250. The result: the same article can show as a 4-minute read on one site and a 6-minute read on another. None are wrong — they just assume different audiences.
Does this tool work for non-English text?
Partially. Word counts are accurate for any space-separated language (most European languages). For Chinese, Japanese, and other languages without spaces between words, the counter will undercount because it splits on whitespace. For those languages, expect actual reading times to be 1.5-2x what is shown.
What reading speed should I use for an audiobook or video script?
For audiobook narration, 150-160 words per minute is the publishing-industry norm. For YouTube video voiceovers, 130-150 wpm reads as natural without rushing. For keynote-style presentations, 100-120 wpm is realistic once you account for pauses and emphasis. Use the "Spoken aloud" preset or set a custom WPM below 150.