Instantly estimate how long to read any text. Paste your article or enter a word count — get reading time in seconds. Now with a live reading countdown timer. Free, no login, works on all devices.
Paste any text or enter a word count to instantly estimate reading time and speaking time. Adjust WPM and use the live reading timer to track your actual reading session.
Enter the total word count of your article, book chapter, or speech script to estimate reading time.
Copy your article, blog post, speech, book chapter, or any text and paste it into the text box. Word count is detected automatically.
Use the WPM slider or preset buttons — Slow (150), Average (238), Fast (350), or Speed Read (500 WPM) — to match your pace.
The calculator instantly shows reading time, speaking time, word count, character count, and sentence count.
Toggle the Reading Timer ON, hit Start, and a live countdown begins from your estimated reading time. Pause or reset anytime.
Use this reference table to estimate reading time by word count. All estimates use the average reading speed of 238 words per minute.
| Word Count | Reading Time (238 WPM) | Speaking Time (130 WPM – Slow/Formal) | Typical Content Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 words | ~1 min 16 sec | ~2 min 18 sec | Short social post, news update |
| 500 words | ~2 min 6 sec | ~3 min 50 sec | Standard blog post |
| 800 words | ~3 min 21 sec | ~6 min 9 sec | Medium blog post |
| 1,000 words | ~4 min 12 sec | ~7 min 41 sec | Long blog post, article |
| 1,500 words | ~6 min 18 sec | ~11 min 32 sec | In-depth article, guide |
| 2,000 words | ~8 min 24 sec | ~15 min 23 sec | Long-form SEO content |
| 3,000 words | ~12 min 36 sec | ~23 min 4 sec | Detailed guide, white paper |
| 5,000 words | ~21 min | ~38 min 27 sec | E-book chapter, case study |
| 10,000 words | ~42 min | ~1 hr 16 min | Short story, research paper |
| 50,000 words | ~3 hr 30 min | ~6 hr 25 min | Novella, short book |
| 75,000 words | ~5 hr 15 min | ~9 hr 37 min | Average novel (300 pages) |
| 100,000 words | ~7 hr | ~12 hr 50 min | Long novel, textbook |
Paste any text and the calculator instantly counts words and estimates reading time — no manual counting needed.
Know the word count but not the text? Enter it directly to estimate reading time for books and documents.
Toggle the reading timer ON/OFF. Start a live countdown based on your calculated reading time. Pause and resume anytime during your session.
Get both reading time and speaking time simultaneously. Speaking time uses 130 WPM — a slow, formal delivery pace ideal for TED talks, classroom presentations, and prepared speeches.
Set any reading speed from 100 to 700 WPM. Use presets for Slow, Average, Fast, or Speed Read to match your pace.
All calculations happen locally in your browser. No text is uploaded or stored. Your content is completely private and secure.
Estimate article reading time before publishing to optimize engagement and SEO performance.
Use speaking time to perfectly time your speech, presentation, or TED-style talk.
Plan study sessions, estimate assigned reading times, and calibrate homework loads.
Add accurate reading time labels to articles and newsletters to improve reader experience.
Use the timer with elevated WPM settings to train faster reading and track improvement.
Check if your captions and posts fit within ideal reading time ranges for each platform.