Paste any text. Get reading time, speaking time, and audiobook length — calculated with real reading-speed research, not arbitrary averages.
Most reading-time calculators use 200 words per minute because it’s a round number. The actual research says 238 wpm for silent reading of non-fiction English by adults.
That figure comes from Marc Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies covering nearly 18,000 participants — the largest synthesis to date. For fiction, the average is closer to 260 wpm. For technical or academic prose, it drops to around 180.
Speaking is paced differently. Public-speaking research puts a comfortable presentation tempo at 130–160 wpm; we use 150. Audiobook narrators average around 155 wpm.
We count the words in your text, then divide by a research-backed words-per-minute rate. The headline number uses 238 wpm — the average silent reading speed for adults reading non-fiction English. The breakdown shows what readers at other speeds will experience.
Use the average-reader figure (238 wpm). It's what platforms like Medium use, and it sets the right expectation for typical readers. For technical or academic content, consider noting the slower rate — readers appreciate the honesty.
About 4 minutes 12 seconds at the average silent reading speed. For a careful, study-grade read, plan on 5 minutes 30 seconds. For someone skimming, closer to 2 minutes.
Use the speaking time figure — we calculate at 150 wpm, the comfortable middle of the 130–160 wpm range public-speaking coaches recommend. A 10-minute talk is therefore around 1,500 words. Add 10–20% if you plan to pause for laughs or audience reactions.
Word-counting works for any whitespace-separated language. Reading-speed estimates are calibrated for English, so the time figures will be approximate for Spanish, French and German (which tend to read slightly slower per word) and noticeably off for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (which don't use spaces).
Tell Pro you want a 5-minute read. It rewrites to fit — keeping your meaning and voice. $6/month. Cancel any time.