Reading Time Estimator
Estimate reading time at two reference paces or enter your own words-per-minute pace.
Try a small example
Try a small example
Load the fictional example in a cleared form. Check the options, run the tool if needed, and compare the result below.
Count word-like runs of letters and digits, then round estimates up to whole minutes at two reference paces (200 and 250 words per minute) and, optionally, a pace you enter. Paste the passage. Leave Your pace blank to compare estimates at 200 and 250 words per minute, or enter your own whole-number pace to add a personalized estimate. Each estimate rounds up to whole minutes. The tool counts word-like runs of Unicode letters and digits; it does not measure your speed, and languages without spaces between words may be undercounted. The optional pace is user-supplied, not measured. The simple counter may be inaccurate for languages that do not separate words with spaces, and it does not account for diagrams, difficulty, or rereading.
Text to estimate
Ada reads a short fictional example.
Your pace (optional, words per minute)
220
Expected output
Word count (estimate): 6 At 200 words/minute (reference): 1 minute(s) At 250 words/minute (reference): 1 minute(s) At your pace (220 words/minute): 1 minute(s) Estimates round up to whole minutes. Your pace is user-supplied, not measured.
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Quick answer
Count word-like runs of letters and digits, then round estimates up to whole minutes at two reference paces (200 and 250 words per minute) and, optionally, a pace you enter.
The page and its assets load from the site; this operation uses your entered values only in this browser and does not send them to a calculation endpoint.
How to use it
Paste the passage. Leave Your pace blank to compare estimates at 200 and 250 words per minute, or enter your own whole-number pace to add a personalized estimate. Each estimate rounds up to whole minutes. The tool counts word-like runs of Unicode letters and digits; it does not measure your speed, and languages without spaces between words may be undercounted.
Limits
The optional pace is user-supplied, not measured. The simple counter may be inaccurate for languages that do not separate words with spaces, and it does not account for diagrams, difficulty, or rereading.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own reading pace?
Yes. Enter your measured or chosen whole-number pace in words per minute. Leave it blank to see the two reference estimates at 200 and 250 words per minute. The tool does not measure your speed.
How does it count words, and what can it miss?
It counts sequences of Unicode letters or digits, allowing apostrophes and hyphens inside a sequence. This simple method may undercount languages that do not separate words with spaces, and does not account for reading difficulty, diagrams, or rereading.
Why are estimates shown as whole minutes?
The tool rounds each estimate up so a partial minute is not displayed as zero. For a short passage this can make the estimate look longer than the likely reading time.
Sources and references
These references document the cited standard or browser API; they do not validate the tool’s output.