Work out how long a text takes to read and to say out loud, at speeds you can adjust.
How to use the Reading time calculator
- Paste your text.
- Adjust reading and speaking speed if needed.
- Use the result in your post header or to time a talk or video.
Typical speeds
Most adults read around 200–250 words a minute on screen and speak around 130–150 words a minute.
How the estimate works
Reading time is words divided by your reading speed, plus 12 seconds for each image found in the text (Markdown images and img tags). The default speed is 238 words a minute, a common figure for adults reading non-fiction on screen. The slider runs from 120 to 400: below 200 is marked careful or technical reading, above 280 is skimming. Speaking time uses 150 words a minute, a steady presenting pace. Short texts show seconds; longer ones round up to whole minutes. The badge line gives you "X min read" ready to paste.
Picking the right speed
For developer docs, legal text or anything with code, use 150–200, since readers slow down. For a casual newsletter, 250–280 is closer. For a talk or a video script, time yourself reading one paragraph aloud and use that pace; nervous speakers go faster, and slides with demos need extra time. If readers keep dropping off before the end, the post is probably longer than its topic needs.