Reading Time Estimator

What is Reading Time Estimator?

Reading time is estimated based on the average adult silent reading speed of 238 words per minute (wpm), derived from a 2019 meta-analysis by Brysbaert (PLOS ONE). Speed readers average 300–400 wpm; beginners average 100–150 wpm. The Flesch Reading Ease score measures readability on a 0–100 scale using average sentence length and average syllables per word — a score of 60–70 is appropriate for general audiences; below 30 indicates academic or legal complexity.

How to use this tool

1. 1 Paste any text — a blog post, article, email, or speech script — into the textarea. Reading time, word count, sentence count, and readability score all update instantly.
2. 2 Use the WPM slider to match your target audience: 150 wpm for beginner readers, 238 wpm for a general adult audience, 300–400 wpm for fast or technical readers.
3. 3 Check the Flesch Reading Ease score. Aim for 60–70 for blog posts and web content — the colour bar makes the rating immediately visible.
4. 4 Read the improvement tip that appears if your content scores below 50 — shorter sentences and simpler vocabulary are the two biggest levers for improving readability.

When would you use this?

• Content teams adding reading time estimates to blog posts — articles with visible read times get significantly more views.
• SEO editors checking Flesch scores to ensure content meets readability guidelines.
• Speakers preparing conference talks using the speaking time estimate to verify their script fits within the allocated slot.
• Developers building CMSs who need word count and reading time to power article metadata.

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