Free text tool
Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long an article takes to read or say out loud, at the reading speed you choose, with time for images.
Estimated reading time
55 sec
Label: 1 min read
- Words
- 125
- at 238 words/min
- Image time
- 23 sec
- 2 images
At other speeds
| Slow reader (180 wpm) | 1 min 5 sec |
|---|---|
| Average reader (238 wpm) | 55 sec |
| Fast reader (300 wpm) | 48 sec |
| Read aloud (140 wpm) | 54 sec |
Know how long your article takes
Paste an article, or just type its word count, and get the reading time at the speed you choose, plus the time to read it aloud for a podcast, video or talk. Images add a few seconds each. Copy the ready-made label, like “6 min read”, for your blog template.
Why show reading time?
- It tells visitors what they're signing up for, which helps them decide to start reading.
- For scripts, it shows quickly whether a talk or voice-over fits its slot.
- It's an estimate: dense technical writing reads slower than a list post with the same word count.
Frequently asked questions
- What reading speed should I use?
- 238 words per minute is the average for adults reading non-fiction silently, according to a 2019 review of 190 reading studies by Marc Brysbaert. Choose slow (180) for technical or second-language readers, fast (300) for skimmable content, or set your own.
- How are images counted?
- The same way Medium does: 12 seconds for the first image, 11 for the second, one second less for each next image, and 3 seconds for every image from the tenth on.
- Why does the label round up?
- A reading-time label is a promise to the reader. “4 min read” for a text that takes 4 minutes 20 seconds undersells it, so the label rounds up to the next whole minute and never shows less than 1 minute.