Reading Time Calculator
Estimate how long a piece takes to read aloud or silently.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.
0 sec
To read silently, at 238 words a minute
0 sec
To read aloud, at 140 words a minute
Words
0
Slide estimate
1
at roughly 2 minutes a slide
150 is a careful read, 238 is the adult average for non-fiction, 400 is skimming.
110 is a measured, formal delivery; 140 is conversational; 180 is fast.
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How to use the Reading Time Calculator
- Paste the text you are going to read or present.
- Adjust the speed if your audience or delivery is slower or faster than average.
- Use the speaking time for presentations and the reading time for articles.
Questions people ask
What reading speed does it assume?
The default is 238 words a minute for silent reading, which is the median for adults reading non-fiction, and 140 a minute for speaking aloud. Both can be changed.
Why is my presentation longer than the estimate?
Pauses, questions, slide changes and demonstrations are not in the text. For a talk, treat the figure as the floor and add time for everything that is not reading.
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