How to calculate reading time for an article

Divide the number of words by the reading speed in words per minute. Adults read about 200 to 250 words a minute on screen, so 225 is a common average.

A 1,500-word article takes 1,500 ÷ 225 = 6.7 minutes, or about 6 minutes 40 seconds.

People speak at about 130 words a minute when presenting. A 1,000-word speech is roughly 7 minutes 40 seconds, compared with 4 minutes 27 seconds to read silently.

Allow extra time for pauses, slides and questions if you are planning a talk.

Difficult or technical text, small screens and reading in a second language all slow readers down. Skimming can be much faster than average.

Treat the estimate as a guide for readers, not a promise. Most sites round to the nearest minute.

A word count tool splits text wherever there is whitespace. Numbers and hyphenated words each count as one, which matches most word processors.

Paste your draft into the word counter to get the word count, character count, sentences and both time estimates.