Reading Time Calculator
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Other tools you may find usefulReading time calculator – calculate minutes for a text or article
Knowledge about reading time is useful for bloggers, copywriters and UX designers (Medium shows "5 min read"). The calculator estimates the time based on the number of words and the selected reading speed. It takes into account the type of content: prose, scientific text, code, scripts.
Reading speeds
Adult silent reading: 238 WPM (average, Brysbaert 2019). Loud speech: 130-150 WPM. Critical reading (science): 100-150 wpm. Speed reading: 400-700 WPM. Technical/Legal Text: 100 WPM. Novel for pleasure: 250-350 WPM. Audiobook (standard): 150-160 WPM. Formula: time [min] = number of words / WPM.
How the number of words is calculated
Words: separated by spaces. Punctuation marks do not count as words. Typical numbers: tweet = 20-30 words. Email = 50-200 words. Blog article (short) = 500-800 words. SEO article (long) = 1500-3000 words. Novella = 7500-40000 words. Novel = 70000-120000 words. Harry Potter 1 = 77325 words (5.4 hours of reading at 238 WPM).
Optimal article reading time
Blog/SEO: 7-10 minutes (1600-2400 words) = highest engagement (Medium data). Less than 3 minutes: too short for SEO (can be treated as thin content). Email newsletter: 1-3 min (200-700 words). Technical docs: no limit - depends on complexity. Business report: executive summary 1 min, full 5-10 min.
Reading speed and the quality of remembering
Research (Rayner 2016): reading speed above 400 WPM = significant loss of understanding. 700 WPM: may not read words but scan. Compromise: skim (500+ WPM) + reread difficult passages = better than "speed reading". Effective techniques: SQ3R, active reading (notes), spaced repetition (Anki).
FAQ
How does Medium calculate reading time?
Average reading speed: 265 WPM (Medium uses this value). Formula: words / 265 = minutes. For a text of 1500 words: 1500/265 ≈ 5.7 min → "6 min read". Images: Medium adds 12 seconds for the first photo, reducing by 3 seconds for each subsequent photo. Min displayed time: 1 min.
How to perform speed reading?
Techniques: Pointer method: trace a word with your finger/cursor (eliminates regressions). Chunking: read groups of words (2-3) instead of one. Peripheral vision: wider field of vision. Reduce subvocalization: minimize "talking in your head". Skim: headings → first sentences of paragraphs → summary. Realistically: 350-400 WPM with understanding is a good result.
How many words are in a good SEO article?
Google doesn't specify a minimum length. Data: top 10 results for competitive keywords: average 1500-2000 words (Backlinko). For long-tail: 500-800 words may be enough. Rule of thumb: as much as needed to comprehensively answer the question. Too long + padding = high bounce rate. Structure: H2/H3 headings every 300 words.
How to check the number of words in a text?
Word: bottom status bar (click to see words). Google Docs: Tools → Word Count (Ctrl+Shift+C). Wordcounter.net: online. Bash: wc -w file.txt. Python: len(text.split()). Notepad++: Plugins → Word Count. Excel: length in COUNTCHARS minus spaces doesn't work well - Notepad++ is better.
How does reading time affect UX?
Predictability: "5 min read" → the user decides whether he has time. Anchor in scroll: reading progress bar (like Medium). Short form vs long form: FAQ (short