Reading Time Calculator
Reading time is one division away. Count the words, divide by how many you read per minute, and the answer is how long the piece will take.
Reading time in minutes
5
- Reading time in seconds
- 300
- Equivalent pages
- 4
- Time to read aloud
- 7.6923
Values update as you type. This calculator covers the single scenario its formula assumes — see Common Mistakes for what it leaves out.
The formula this calculator uses
minutes = words / words per minute
- minutes
- Time needed to read the text
- words
- Total word count of the passage
- wpm
- Your reading speed in words per minute
How to check the result by hand
- 1
Count the words
Use the word processor's own count rather than estimating from pages. A thousand words is a typical article; a full page of single spaced text is around 500.
- 2
Choose the right reading speed
About 200 to 250 words per minute for ordinary silent reading, 130 to 150 for reading aloud, and below 100 for careful study of technical material.
- 3
Divide words by the speed
A thousand words at 200 words per minute is five minutes. If the material is dense, using 100 instead doubles the estimate to ten minutes.
- 4
Convert to seconds or pages if useful
Multiply minutes by 60 for seconds, or divide the word count by 250 for pages. Five minutes is 300 seconds and four pages.
- 5
Adjust for the format
Add time for diagrams, tables and equations, which the word count ignores. A page with three charts takes longer than its word count suggests.
For worked examples, common mistakes and the limits of this formula, read the full How To Calculate Reading Time page.