Reading Time Calculator
Paste a draft. Get word count, reading time at adjustable speed, speaking time for scripts, and a sentence-length read on density.
Reading time
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At the reading speed above
- Speaking time
- –
- At the speaking speed above
- Words
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- Characters
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- With spaces
- Characters
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- Without spaces
- Sentences
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- Paragraphs
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- Words per sentence
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- Average
- Density
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- Short, typical, or dense
Reading time at common speeds
| Reader | Speed | Reading time |
|---|
Reading time, speaking time, and what sentence length tells you
Reading time is words divided by speed, and the speed you choose matters more than the count. The default of 238 words per minute is a commonly cited average for adults reading English non-fiction silently. Publishing platforms tend to assume somewhere between 200 and 300, which is why the same article shows a different estimate on different sites. The table below shows the spread so you can see how much the assumption moves the number.
Speaking time uses a slower rate because spoken delivery is slower than silent reading. Around 150 words per minute is a reasonable planning figure for a presenter or narrator; conversational podcast speech runs somewhat faster and a scripted ad read faster again. Use it to size a video script, a webinar section, or a keynote against the slot you have been given, before the edit rather than after the recording.
The density read is a rough guide from average sentence length. Under 14 words per sentence reads as short and punchy, the register of ads, social posts, and landing pages. Between 14 and 20 is typical business prose. Over 20 reads as dense, which suits a report or a legal page and tires a reader on a phone. It is not a quality score. Good writing mixes lengths. It is a signal that the average has drifted somewhere you may not have intended.
Formulas
- Reading time
- = Words ÷ Reading speed (wpm)
- Speaking time
- = Words ÷ Speaking speed (wpm)
- Words per sentence
- = Words ÷ Sentences
- Density
- Short under 14, typical 14 to 20, dense over 20 words per sentence
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute does the average adult read?
A commonly cited figure for adult silent reading of English non-fiction is around 238 words per minute, which is the default here. Publishing platforms usually assume something between 200 and 300. Readers skimming a familiar topic go faster; readers working through technical material, tables, or a second language go slower. The speed you assume moves the estimate more than anything else, so pick one and use it consistently across your content.
How is speaking time different from reading time?
People speak more slowly than they read. A presenter or narrator typically lands somewhere around 150 words per minute, conversational podcast speech runs a little faster, and a scripted ad read faster still. Use speaking time when you are budgeting a video script, a webinar segment, or a keynote against a fixed slot. A 900 word script is about six minutes on camera, not four.
How does the tool count sentences and paragraphs?
A sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line. That means abbreviations like e.g. or U.S. can add a sentence, and a list of one-line bullets counts as one paragraph unless you leave blank lines between them. The counts are close enough for a density read, not a substitute for an editor.
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