Calculate reading time based on word count and reading speed. Get estimates for slow, average, and fast reading paces.
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Calculate how long any document, article, or book will take to read. Enter the word count and your reading speed to get accurate time estimates for planning study sessions or content consumption.
Reading time is calculated by dividing word count by reading speed (words per minute). Average adult reading speed is 200-300 WPM for leisure reading, but varies significantly based on content complexity and reader skill.
Reading Time Formula
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Adult average is 200-300 WPM for leisure reading. College students average 300 WPM, while speed readers can exceed 700 WPM with reduced comprehension.
Yes, significantly. Technical, scientific, or legal content may slow reading to 100-150 WPM, while familiar fiction might allow 350+ WPM.
At the average 250 WPM pace, 1,000 words takes about 4 minutes. A slow reader (150 WPM) needs roughly 6–7 minutes, while a fast reader (400 WPM) finishes in about 2.5 minutes.
About 1,250 words at the average 250 WPM. A 1-minute read is roughly 250 words, a 3-minute read about 750, and a 10-minute read around 2,500 words.
A typical 90,000-word novel takes about 6 hours at 250 WPM. Most 300-page books (about 75,000–90,000 words) run 5–7 hours of total reading time.