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Reading Time Calculator

Paste text, choose your reading speed and compare your estimate with the existing 175, 238 and 300 WPM reference speeds.

Use 50–1,000 WPM. The 238 WPM reference comes from the cited adult English non-fiction meta-analysis.
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About this tool

What it does

Estimates the pasted text at the reading speed you enter and keeps 175, 238 and 300 WPM reference estimates for comparison.

Who it's for

Bloggers, content marketers, teachers, newsletter writers and anyone who needs to estimate reading time before publishing.

Your privacy

Your text never leaves your browser. Nothing is transmitted to any server or stored anywhere.

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How it works, limits and privacy

The selected estimate divides the Unicode-aware word count by the WPM value you enter. The page keeps 238 WPM as the central adult English non-fiction reference and 175/300 WPM as comparison speeds. Reading speed varies by reader, language and text difficulty, so these are planning estimates rather than predictions.

Sources reviewed 23 June 2026: Reading-speed meta-analysis · Unicode UAX #29

Frequently asked questions

The Unicode-aware word count is divided by the words-per-minute speed you select. The page also keeps 175, 238 and 300 WPM reference estimates for comparison. Each displayed value rounds up to whole minutes, with results below one minute shown as less than one minute.
A 2019 meta-analysis reported a 238 words-per-minute mean for silent adult reading of English non-fiction, with substantial variation between people and texts.
No. It uses text words only. Visual inspection, interaction, technical difficulty, accessibility needs and unfamiliar language can add time.
The tool uses Unicode-aware word segmentation where supported and a Unicode regular-expression fallback.
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