About the Reading & Speaking Time Calculator
Paste any text to see how long it takes to read silently and to read aloud, for essays, blog posts, newsletters, scripts and speeches. You can also work the other way: enter how long your talk should be and see roughly how many words to write.
Speeds come from the largest review of reading research to date, not from the often-repeated '300 words a minute', which turns out to be too fast for most adults.
How it works
The words in your text are counted, then divided by a reading speed in words per minute. A 2019 review of 190 studies with nearly 19,000 participants found that adults read English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute and fiction at about 260, and read aloud at about 183.
People differ a lot: most adults read non-fiction at 175 to 300 words per minute, so the page shows a range as well as the average. If you know your own speed, choose 'My own speed' and enter it.
minutes = words ÷ words per minute words for a talk = minutes × 183
Assumptions and limits
- Speeds are for adults reading English. Children, people reading in a second language, and dense technical or academic texts are usually slower.
- Words are counted with the Unicode rules browsers use: 'well-known' counts as two words, and 3.14 as one. Word processors can differ slightly.
- Speaking time assumes the reading-aloud rate (183 words a minute); pauses, slides and questions add time.
Worked examples
A 1,000-word article
At 238 words per minute, 1,000 words of non-fiction take about 4 minutes 12 seconds to read silently, and about 5 minutes 28 seconds to read aloud.
Writing a 5-minute speech
At 183 words per minute, five minutes is about 915 words. Aim a little under that to leave room for pauses and emphasis.
A 90,000-word novel
At 260 words per minute for fiction, the whole book takes about 5 hours 46 minutes of reading time.
Average adult reading speeds (English)
Source: Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language 109, 104047.
| Reading | Average | Most adults |
|---|---|---|
| Silent, non-fiction | 238 words/min | 175–300 |
| Silent, fiction | 260 words/min | 200–320 |
| Aloud | 183 words/min | — |
How to use the Reading & Speaking Time Calculator
- Paste your text. The word count updates as you type.
- Choose a reading speed. Silent non-fiction, fiction, aloud, or your own.
- Plan a talk. Enter minutes to see how many words fit.
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute does the average person read?
About 238 for non-fiction and 260 for fiction when reading silently, according to a 2019 review of 190 studies. Reading aloud is slower, at about 183 words per minute. Many sources still quote 300, which is faster than most adults read.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes 12 seconds silently at the average non-fiction speed, or around 5 and a half minutes aloud. A fast reader at 300 words per minute would take about 3 minutes 20 seconds.
How many words should a 10-minute speech be?
About 1,830 words at the average reading-aloud speed of 183 words per minute. Speakers who pause for effect or take questions usually need fewer words for the same time.
Why is my reading time different from another site?
Many sites use 200 or 250 words per minute and some count words differently. This calculator uses averages from published research and shows the speed it used, so you can compare.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. The words are counted in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere or stored. Long documents work the same way, entirely on your device, and the text disappears when you close the page.
Sources
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter or upload stays on your device and is never sent to our servers.