{"success":true,"version":"v1","request":{"tool":"get_calculator_schema","calculator_id":"reading-time"},"result":{"entity_type":"calculator","id":"reading-time","calculator_id":"reading-time","canonical_url":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/reading-time","name":"Reading Time Calculator","title":"Reading Time Calculator – Minutes to Read a Text from Word Count (238 wpm)","category":"everyday","category_name":"Everyday Life","tool_name":"estimate_reading_time","featured_mcp_tool":false,"description":"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.","use_when":"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).","inputs":[{"name":"word_count","label":"Word count","type":"integer","unit":"words","required":true,"min":1,"max":100000000,"description":"Number of words in the text.","example":1500},{"name":"words_per_minute","label":"Reading speed","type":"number","unit":"wpm","required":false,"default":238,"min":50,"max":2000,"description":"Silent reading speed. Adult means: 238 wpm non-fiction, 260 wpm fiction (Brysbaert 2019).","example":238}],"outputs":[{"name":"minutes","label":"Reading time","type":"number","unit":"min","decimals":2,"description":"word_count / words_per_minute."},{"name":"seconds","label":"Reading time","type":"integer","unit":"s","decimals":4,"description":"Same time in seconds (rounded)."},{"name":"reading_time","label":"Reading time","type":"string","decimals":4,"description":"Formatted as hours, minutes and seconds."},{"name":"read_aloud_minutes","label":"Read-aloud time","type":"number","unit":"min","decimals":2,"description":"word_count / 183 wpm, the adult mean for reading aloud in English."}],"input_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"word_count":{"description":"Number of words in the text. Unit: words.","type":"integer","minimum":1,"maximum":100000000,"examples":[1500],"x-unit":"words"},"words_per_minute":{"description":"Silent reading speed. Adult means: 238 wpm non-fiction, 260 wpm fiction (Brysbaert 2019). Unit: wpm.","type":"number","minimum":50,"maximum":2000,"default":238,"examples":[238],"x-unit":"wpm"}},"additionalProperties":false,"required":["word_count"]},"output_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"minutes":{"description":"word_count / words_per_minute. Unit: min.","type":"number","x-unit":"min"},"seconds":{"description":"Same time in seconds (rounded). Unit: s.","type":"integer","x-unit":"s"},"reading_time":{"description":"Formatted as hours, minutes and seconds.","type":"string"},"read_aloud_minutes":{"description":"word_count / 183 wpm, the adult mean for reading aloud in English. Unit: min.","type":"number","x-unit":"min"}}},"formula":"minutes = word_count / words_per_minute; read_aloud_minutes = word_count / 183","method":"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.","sources":[{"name":"Brysbaert M (2019) How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate, J Mem Lang 109:104047","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047","type":"peer_reviewed","retrieved_at":"2026-09-23"}],"freshness":{"type":"static","max_age_seconds":null,"note":"Deterministic formula with fixed constants; results never go stale. 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