Repeat Text
Repeat every line a set number of times, in place.
Reading Time Calculator
Turn a word count into how long the text takes to read or say.
0sReading time
0sSpeaking time
0Words
0Characters
225 wpm
Speaking time is estimated at 130 words per minute.
How many words do I need?
Work backwards from a slot you have to fill: a five-minute talk, a 30-second ad read, a two-minute video script.
You need about 650 words.
Quick Tool Overview
The Reading Time Calculator turns a word count into a time: how long the text takes to read silently and how long it takes to read out loud. It also works backwards, telling you how many words a five-minute slot needs and how far short your draft currently is.
- What it does
- Converts words to reading time, and a time slot back to words
- You give it
- Your text and a reading speed
- You get back
- Silent reading time, speaking time and a word target
- Best for
- Blog estimates, talks, scripts, podcasts and video voiceovers
About the Reading Time Calculator
Paste an article and the calculator turns its word count into a time: how long it takes to read silently, and how long it takes to read out loud. Reading speed is a slider rather than a fixed average, so you can model a skim-reader at 350 words per minute or a careful one at 150.
The presets cover the usual cases: 225 words per minute for average adult silent reading, 130 for presenting to a room, and 155 for audiobook narration. Speaking is always slower than reading, which is why a script that looks short on the page runs long on stage.
The second panel works the other way round. Tell it you have a five-minute slot and it works out how many words you need, then compares that against what you have written so far and tells you how far short or over you are.
Key features of the Reading Time Calculator
Adjustable reading speed
A slider models anything from a careful reader at 150 words per minute to a skim-reader at 350, instead of assuming one average.
Presets for real situations
225 words per minute for silent adult reading, 130 for presenting to a room and 155 for audiobook narration.
Reading and speaking side by side
Speaking is always slower, which is why a script that looks short on the page runs long on stage.
Works backwards from a time slot
Enter the minutes you have been given and the calculator returns the word count you need to write.
Progress against the target
Your current draft is compared with the target so you know exactly how far over or under you are.
How to use the Reading Time Calculator
-
1
Paste your text
Drop in an article, a blog post or a script. The times update as you type.
-
2
Set the reading speed
Use a preset, or drag the slider to the pace of the audience you are writing for.
-
3
Read both times
Silent reading and speaking time are shown side by side, since a script needs the second one.
-
4
Work backwards if you need to
Enter the number of minutes you have to fill and the tool tells you how many words that is.
Frequently asked questions
Adults reading English prose for comprehension typically manage somewhere between 200 and 250 words per minute. This calculator uses 225 as its default, and the slider lets you model faster or slower readers.
Because speech is paced by breath and comprehension, not by the eye. A comfortable presentation pace is about 130 words per minute, and audiobook narration sits near 155, so a script always takes longer to say than to read.
Roughly 650 words at a 130 words-per-minute presentation pace. Use the panel at the bottom to work it out for any length, and read it aloud once before you trust the number.
It sets expectations before someone commits, which tends to help completion rates on long posts. Round to the nearest minute and calculate it from the body copy, not the navigation and footer.
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