Reading Speed (WPM) Calculator
Estimate reading time for any text based on word count and reading speed in words per minute.
Results
What is it?
Reading speed varies enormously: slow readers average 150 WPM, average adults 200-250 WPM, and proficient readers reach 350+ WPM with full comprehension. Speed readers using chunking may reach 500-700 WPM, but comprehension often drops above 400 WPM.
How to use
Enter your text word count and your reading speed in WPM. If you do not know your speed, use 250 WPM as a solid average. Reading time appears in minutes, seconds, and hours.
Example scenario
A 1,500-word blog post at 250 WPM takes 6 minutes to read. A 90,000-word novel at 250 WPM takes 6 hours. A 10,000-word academic paper at 150 WPM (careful study reading) takes approx 67 minutes.
Pro tip
Medium and Substack display "X min read" badges -- they use roughly 265 WPM. For audiobooks, narrators average 150-160 WPM; multiply word count by 60/WPM for audio duration in seconds. Comprehension studies show retention drops significantly above 400 WPM even with speed-reading techniques.