Free reading time calculator
Paste any text to see how many words it has and how long it takes to read at your speed. Runs in your browser, no sign up.
0 words · about 0 min at 200 WPM
Runs fully in your browser. No account, no AI, no API calls. Start lezrning free when you want spaced repetition, mind maps, and full courses.
Paste an article, a chapter or your notes and this reading time calculator counts the words and tells you how many minutes they take to read. The default speed is 200 words per minute, and you can set your own.
How to calculate reading time
Paste your text
Copy the text from your document, article or PDF and paste it into the box. The word count updates as you go.
Set your reading speed
The default is 200 words per minute (WPM). Change it to match how fast you read.
Read the estimate
You get the word count and the reading time, rounded to the nearest minute. Anything under a minute shows as less than one.
Worked examples
Reading time is the number of words divided by your words per minute.
- 1,000 word article at 200 WPM
- 1,000 / 200 = 5 minutes
- 3,000 word chapter at 200 WPM
- 3,000 / 200 = 15 minutes
- 3,000 word chapter at 250 WPM
- 3,000 / 250 = 12 minutes
- 10 single spaced pages, about 5,000 words, at 200 WPM
- 5,000 / 200 = 25 minutes
How fast do people read?
Most adults read somewhere around 200 to 300 words per minute. A large review of reading studies (Brysbaert, 2019) put the average for silent reading of nonfiction at about 238 WPM. Study reading is slower, since you stop to think, reread and take notes, so plan for extra time on hard material.
To find your own speed, read for exactly one minute and count the words. Do it twice and take the average.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 5 minutes at 200 words per minute, or 4 minutes at 250.
How many words per minute does the average person read?
Around 200 to 300 for most adults. A 2019 review of reading studies found an average of about 238 words per minute for silent reading of nonfiction.
How long does it take to read 10 pages?
It depends on the words per page. A single spaced page holds roughly 500 words and a double spaced page about 250, so at 200 WPM 10 pages takes about 25 minutes single spaced, or about half that double spaced.
How does it count words?
It splits your text on spaces and line breaks, so every chunk of characters between spaces counts as one word.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser, and the text never leaves your device.