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Reading Time Calculator

Estimates how long a text takes to read silently from its word count and a reading speed, defaulting to 238 words per minute, the adult mean for non-fiction found in Brysbaert's 2019 meta-analysis; also gives the read-aloud time at 183 wpm.

When to use

You need an estimated reading time for an article, book, speech or document, or want to convert a word count into minutes.

Do not use when: You need typing speed (use typing-speed) or the text is in a language or script with very different reading rates (adjust words_per_minute).

Formula

minutes = word_count / words_per_minute; read_aloud_minutes = word_count / 183

Brysbaert (2019) pooled 190 studies: silent reading of English non-fiction averages 238 wpm (fiction 260 wpm); reading aloud averages 183 wpm. Skimming, dense technical text or a second language change the rate considerably.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`word_count`	integer	words	yes	Number of words in the text. Range: ≥ 1, ≤ 100000000
`words_per_minute`	number	wpm	default 238	Silent reading speed. Adult means: 238 wpm non-fiction, 260 wpm fiction (Brysbaert 2019). Range: ≥ 50, ≤ 2000

Outputs

Output	Type	Unit	Description
`minutes`	number	min	word_count / words_per_minute.
`seconds`	integer	s	Same time in seconds (rounded).
`reading_time`	string		Formatted as hours, minutes and seconds.
`read_aloud_minutes`	number	min	word_count / 183 wpm, the adult mean for reading aloud in English.

Example

1500-word article at 238 wpm: {"word_count":1500} → {"minutes":6.3,"seconds":378,"reading_time":"6 min 18 s","read_aloud_minutes":8.2}

80,000-word novel at 260 wpm: {"word_count":80000,"words_per_minute":260} → {"minutes":307.69,"seconds":18462,"reading_time":"5 h 7 min 42 s","read_aloud_minutes":437.16}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/reading-time?word_count=1500

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/reading-time (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/reading-time · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/reading-time.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/reading-time.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="reading-time"
OpenAPI operationId: estimate_reading_time
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

Brysbaert M (2019) How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate, J Mem Lang 109:104047 (peer_reviewed)

FAQ

Why 238 words per minute?

It is the mean silent reading rate for adults reading English non-fiction across 190 studies (Brysbaert 2019); older '200–250 wpm' rules of thumb are consistent with it.

How do I estimate speaking time for a speech?

Use read_aloud_minutes (183 wpm) or set words_per_minute to 130–150 for a slow, deliberate presentation pace.

Related calculators

Typing Speed Calculator — Words per minute for typing rather than reading.
Time Duration Calculator — Add the reading time to a schedule.