Paste your text and the Estimated Reading Time panel shows how long it takes to read. Change Reading WPM to match your audience; the estimate updates immediately and is remembered in this browser.
The formula
Reading time = number of words ÷ reading speed in words per minute (WPM). A 1,200-word article read at 200 WPM takes 6 minutes. WordPico rounds up to the next second, so any non-empty text shows at least one second.
| Words | At 200 WPM | At 250 WPM | At 300 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 2 min 30 s | 2 min | 1 min 40 s |
| 1,000 | 5 min | 4 min | 3 min 20 s |
| 1,500 | 7 min 30 s | 6 min | 5 min |
| 2,000 | 10 min | 8 min | 6 min 40 s |
| 5,000 | 25 min | 20 min | 16 min 40 s |
Which reading speed to use
A 2019 meta-analysis by Marc Brysbaert in the Journal of Memory and Language estimated the average silent reading rate of adults in English at about 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. WordPico starts at a deliberately cautious 200 WPM, because readers on phones, readers in a second language and readers of technical material go slower than the average. Suggested settings:
- 150–180 WPM: technical documentation, legal text, study material, or an audience reading in a second language.
- 200 WPM: a safe general estimate for blog posts and newsletters.
- 240–260 WPM: fluent adult readers of light non-fiction or fiction.
Images, code samples, tables and charts take extra time that a word-based formula does not see. Add a few seconds for each one if precision matters.
Where reading time helps
- Blogs and newsletters: a "6 min read" label sets expectations and can reduce early exits.
- Course material: plan how much reading fits into a lesson or a week.
- Reports and briefings: keep a briefing that should take five minutes at about 1,000 words.
- Exams and presentations: check that a reading passage fits the time allowed.
Making long text quicker to read
If the estimate is longer than your readers will give you, shorten before you format. Cut introductions that repeat the title, replace long lists of examples with the best two, and move background detail into links. The keyword density checker shows repeated words, which often point to padding.
Reading time versus speaking time
Speaking is much slower than silent reading. The same panel shows a speaking estimate with its own speed setting; see the speech time calculator for talks, videos and podcasts. To estimate printed length instead, use words to pages.
Your text and speed settings stay in your browser.