What reading speed is used?

The default is 200 words per minute — the average adult reading speed reported in memory research. The tool also shows slow (150 WPM), fast (250 WPM), and speed-reader (300 WPM) estimates.

Does it work for non-English text?

It counts whitespace-separated tokens, so it works for most Latin-alphabet languages. For CJK (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) the token count differs from English words — use it as a rough guide.

What's a good target read time for a blog post?

Most blog posts land at 3–7 minutes (600–1,400 words). Longer pieces (long-reads, guides) are 10+ minutes. Newsletter content often targets 2–3 minutes.

Does it include images or code?

No. It only estimates reading time for the text you paste. Images, code blocks, and videos add additional engagement time that's not captured here.

Reading Time Estimator

Text Tools· 20 tools

Free reading time estimator. Paste any text — an article, essay, blog post, or transcript — and see how long it will take to read at 150, 200, 250, and 300 words per minute. Handy for blog meta, newsletters, YouTube show notes, and school essays.

Paste text to estimate reading time

Frequently Asked Questions

References

How Fast Can We Read? — reading speed meta-analysis — Journal of Memory and Language

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Frequently Asked Questions

References and sources

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