Paste your article, blog post or essay and instantly see how long it takes to read. Adjust reading speed for different audiences.
Reading speed200 wpm
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Words
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Sentences
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Paragraphs
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Speaking Time
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Est. Pages
⏱️ Test your reading speed
Pick a passage, read it at your natural pace, then tap finish. We’ll work out your real words-per-minute — and you can drop it straight into the estimator above.
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0.0sReading…
Quick check — how much did you take in?
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0 wpm
📖 Word-by-word speed trainer
Practise reading one word at a time at a pace you set. Showing words in a fixed spot stops your eyes hopping along the line and stops you sounding out every word — the two habits that slow most readers down.
Trainer speed300 wpm
Words at a time
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Display
Press play to begin
Tip: click this card, then use Space to play or pause and ↑↓ to change speed.
The Reading Time Estimator works out how long a piece of writing takes to read or say aloud. Paste an article, blog post, essay or script and you instantly get the reading time, speaking time, word count, character count, sentence and paragraph totals, and an estimated page count.
Reading time is simply the number of words divided by a reading speed. The tool uses 200 words per minute by default — a sensible average for adult silent reading — and you can slide the speed up or down, or measure your own with the built-in reading speed test.
Test your own reading speed
Everyone reads at a different pace, so a fixed average is only a rough guide. The reading speed test gives you a number that is actually yours.
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Choose a passage — short, medium or long
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Read it normally while the timer runs
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Tap finish to see your words-per-minute and a rating
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Apply it to the estimator for results that match how you read
How to use the estimator
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Paste your text into the box
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Pick a reading speed or use a preset — Slow, Average, Fast or Speed reader
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Read the results — reading time, speaking time and full text stats update instantly
What the numbers mean
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Reading time at your chosen speed (200 wpm by default)
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Speaking time at about 130 wpm — useful for talks and scripts
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Words, characters, sentences & paragraphs counted live
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Estimated pages at roughly 275 words per page
How word-by-word training helps
When you read normally your eyes jump along the line in small hops and often slip back to re-read, and many people silently sound out every word, which caps their speed at roughly talking pace. A word-by-word trainer shows one word at a time in a fixed spot, so your eyes stop hopping and there is no time to sound each word out. The highlighted letter marks the natural focus point of the word, helping your eye lock on. Practised in short daily bursts, this trains you to recognise words faster and read in smoother sweeps.
More ways to read faster
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Use a pointer — run a finger or pen under the line to pace your eyes and stop them wandering
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Read in chunks — take in two or three words per glance using the words-at-a-time setting
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Quiet the inner voice — push your pace slightly past comfortable so you cannot sound out every word
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Preview first — skim headings and opening lines before reading properly
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Practise in short bursts — a few minutes a day beats one long session
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Re-test weekly — use the speed test above to track your progress
How long does it take to read…
Rough reading times for common kinds of writing, at a careful, average and fast pace.
Content
Words
Careful 150 wpm
Average 250 wpm
Fast 400 wpm
A tweet
50
20 sec
12 sec
8 sec
A short email
200
1 min
48 sec
30 sec
A news article
800
5 min
3 min
2 min
A blog post
1,200
8 min
5 min
3 min
A long-read feature
4,000
27 min
16 min
10 min
A short story
7,500
50 min
30 min
19 min
A business report
20,000
2 hr 13 min
1 hr 20 min
50 min
An average novel
90,000
10 hr
6 hr
3 hr 45 min
Reading speed by situation
There is no single right speed — good readers change pace to match the job.
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Skimming for the gist — roughly 400 to 700 wpm, picking out key words and ideas
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Normal reading — about 200 to 300 wpm for articles, email and most books
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Studying or learning — around 100 to 200 wpm, slowing to absorb and re-read
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Proofreading — 100 wpm or slower, checking every word and mark
Frequently asked questions
Reading time is your word count divided by your reading speed in words per minute. By default the tool uses 200 wpm, the average for an adult reading silently, and you can change the speed or measure your own with the reading speed test.
Use the reading speed test on this page. Pick a short, medium or long passage, read it at your natural pace, then tap finish. The tool times you and divides the passage length by the time taken to give your words per minute.
Most adults read silently at about 200 to 250 words per minute. Careful or technical reading is slower, while practised speed readers can go well beyond 350 words per minute.
Speaking aloud is slower than reading, usually around 125 to 150 words per minute, which is why this tool also shows an estimated speaking time for presentations and scripts.
It varies with font and spacing, but a typical double-spaced page holds roughly 250 to 300 words. This tool estimates pages at about 275 words each.
A reading time label sets expectations and has been shown to improve how many people finish an article, so many blogs and publishing platforms display it near the top.
No. All counting and timing happens in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, and nothing is saved once you close the page.
Yes, it is completely free with no sign-up and no limits, and it works on any phone, tablet or desktop.
RSVP stands for rapid serial visual presentation. It flashes one word at a time in the same spot so your eyes do not need to travel along the line, which many people find lets them read noticeably faster.
Start a little above your comfortable speed, around 300 words per minute for most people, and nudge it up as it begins to feel easy. Drop back any time you stop taking in what you read.
Pushed too far it can, so the aim is the fastest pace at which you still understand the text. Use the reading speed test to check your comprehension keeps up as your speed grows.
Every speed test result is saved on your device and shown under the test as your best speed and recent attempts. Nothing is uploaded, and clearing your browser data resets the history.
At an average 250 words per minute, about four minutes. A fast reader at 400 wpm takes around two and a half minutes, while a careful reader at 150 wpm takes about seven.