Reading Time Calculator

Estimate how long text takes to read using live word count, character count, and adjustable reading speed.

Tool

Reading speed

Word count: 0

Character count: 0

Reading speed: 225 WPM

Estimated reading time: 0 sec

Paste text above to calculate reading time.

How it works

The tool counts words by splitting non-empty text on whitespace and counts characters from the raw input.

Reading time is deterministic: total seconds = (word count / words per minute) × 60.

The result is formatted as minutes and seconds, for example 2 min 30 sec.

Examples

Short email: 120 words at average (225 WPM) is about 32 sec.

Blog draft: 600 words at slow (160 WPM) is about 3 min 45 sec.

Article review: 1,000 words at fast (300 WPM) is about 3 min 20 sec.

FAQ

How is reading time estimated?

The tool divides word count by selected words per minute, converts it to seconds, then formats the result as minutes and seconds.

What reading speed should I use?

A typical silent reading speed is around 200 to 250 words per minute.

Does character count include spaces?

Yes. Character count reflects the full text input, including spaces and punctuation.