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Reading Time Estimator

Paste any text to instantly see reading time, word count, character count, sentence count and readability score. Updates as you type.

Reading speed
— Reading time
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About reading time estimation

Reading time is calculated by dividing the total word count by the average reading speed in words per minute (wpm). The average adult reads silently at around 238 wpm, though this varies considerably — slow readers average around 150 wpm, fast readers around 350 wpm, and trained speed readers can exceed 700 wpm. The Flesch readability score measures how easy a piece of text is to read, based on sentence length and syllable count. Scores above 70 are considered easy to read; scores below 30 are very difficult (think legal or academic writing).

Frequently asked questions

Reading time is calculated by dividing the total word count by your selected reading speed in words per minute (wpm). The default speed is 238 wpm, which is the average silent reading speed for an adult. You can change the speed using the buttons or enter a custom wpm.
The average adult reads at around 200–250 words per minute. Slow readers average around 150 wpm, fast readers around 300–400 wpm, and trained speed readers can exceed 700 wpm. Reading speed also depends on the complexity of the text — technical or academic content is typically read more slowly than fiction.
The Flesch Reading Ease score rates text on a 0–100 scale based on average sentence length and average number of syllables per word. Higher scores mean easier reading. Scores of 70–80 are considered easy (plain English), 50–70 fairly difficult (standard writing), and below 30 very difficult (academic or legal text). Most web content aims for a score above 60.
At the average reading speed of 238 wpm, 1,000 words takes approximately 4 minutes and 12 seconds to read. At 150 wpm (slow) it takes around 6 minutes 40 seconds; at 350 wpm (fast) around 2 minutes 51 seconds.
A typical novel is around 90,000 words. At an average reading speed of 238 wpm, that's approximately 6 hours and 18 minutes of reading time. A shorter novel of 60,000 words would take about 4 hours 12 minutes.