How the estimate is calculated
The calculator counts words, then divides by a words-per-minute rate: seconds = words ÷ wpm × 60, rounded to the nearest second and shown as minutes and seconds. It shows four rates side by side: slow reading at 150 wpm, average reading at 238 wpm, fast reading at 350 wpm, and speaking aloud at 130 wpm. A word is any run of non-space characters, so "well-known" counts as one word, while a stray dash surrounded by spaces counts as another.
The 238 wpm figure for average adult silent reading comes from a 2019 meta-analysis of reading-rate studies by Marc Brysbaert, which put non-fiction silent reading at 238 wpm and fiction at around 260. Platforms choose their own constants, so a "5 min read" label on one site is not strictly comparable with another.
Worked examples
| Words | Slow (150) | Average (238) | Fast (350) | Speaking (130) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 3m 20s | 2m 6s | 1m 26s | 3m 51s |
| 1,200 | 8m | 5m 3s | 3m 26s | 9m 14s |
| 2,000 | 13m 20s | 8m 24s | 5m 43s | 15m 23s |
A 1,200-word post is therefore about "5 min read" if you round the 5m 3s result, while the same text read aloud as a script runs just over 9 minutes. For video, a useful rule is to budget by the speaking column, not the reading one.
What the number leaves out
- Everything non-prose. Images, code blocks, tables and embedded media take time that a word count cannot see. A tutorial full of code reads far slower than its word count suggests, so add time by hand.
- Language. The rates are for English. Reading speed varies by language and script, and results for other languages should be treated as rough.
- Skimming. Most web readers scan rather than read every word, so the estimate describes a full careful read, not typical behaviour.
- Speech pace. 130 wpm suits clear, unhurried delivery. Fast conversation or an energetic presenter can be notably quicker, and pauses for slides make it slower, so rehearse once and time yourself.
- Counting rules. The tool counts whatever you paste, including headings, captions and navigation text if they came along in your copy.
Using it well
Putting a reading time on an article sets expectations for the reader. For a script, divide your target length by 130 to get a word budget: a 5-minute video needs about 650 words. If you need counts for characters, sentences and paragraphs, use the word counter, and check how hard the prose is to read with the readability score. Longer is not automatically better for search; the keyword density checker helps confirm that a long page is still focused.