How long it takesto read, or to say out loud.
Paste your post, email, or script and get the time instantly: how long it takes the average reader to get through it silently, and how long it runs read aloud for a video or voiceover. Adjust the pace to match your audience and see it update live.
Your text
The time
Silent reading
11 sec
at 238 words per minute
Read aloud
19 sec
for video, voiceover, or a script
Words
45
Sentences
2
Characters
223
Your move
I don't just count the words. I make every one earn its second.
45 words — about 11 sec to read, 19 sec read aloud.
Length isn't the enemy, wasted attention is. I write posts, emails, and scripts that hold the reader for exactly as long as they should and not a beat more. Bring me something that's running long and I'll show you, free, what to cut and where it tightens.
Plain English
Time is the honest measure of length.
Word count tells you how much you wrote. Reading time tells you what you're actually asking of your reader, and that's the number that decides whether they start. A '12 minute read' label sets an expectation; a '2 minute read' gets clicked when the 12 minute one gets saved for never.
People read silently at about 238 words per minute on average, faster for skimmers, slower for dense or technical text. Reading aloud is much slower, around 130 to 150 words per minute, because your mouth can't keep up with your eyes. That gap is why a script that looks short on the page can run long on camera.
This calculator shows both, at three speeds, so you can size a blog post, trim an email to under a minute, or time a 60 second ad read to the word. The rule of thumb for video: roughly 130 words fills a minute of natural speech. Write to the time, not just the count.
The formula
Reading time = word count ÷ words per minute
A 1,200 word article ÷ 238 wpm ≈ 5 minutes to read silently. The same 1,200 words read aloud ÷ 140 wpm ≈ 8.5 minutes of speech. A 60 second ad spot, at ~130 wpm, holds about 130 words, which is why ad scripts are so ruthlessly tight.
How fast people actually read
Typical speeds by mode. Pick the one that matches how your words will be consumed, silent reading and spoken delivery are worlds apart:
| Mode | Speed (wpm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Silent reading (average) | 238 | Non technical prose |
| Silent reading (skimming) | 320+ | Scanning for the point |
| Reading aloud | 183 | Audiobook / narration |
| Presentation / VO | 130 to 150 | Natural spoken delivery |
| Technical reading | 180 | Dense or unfamiliar material |
Source: Brysbaert reading-rate meta-analysis & speech-rate norms · 2019
Using the time to make the call
Your post runs over 7 minutes.
Either it's a deliberate deep dive (label it, structure it with subheads) or it's bloated. Add a contents jump list, or split it into two focused pieces.
Your email is over 1 minute.
Most marketing emails should read in under 60 seconds. Cut to the single point and one clear ask, or move the depth to a linked page.
Your video script runs long.
At ~130 words a minute, trim to your time budget before you record. It's far cheaper to cut words than to re shoot.
Your landing page is a long read.
Long is fine if it's earning each section, but make it skimmable so a 30 second skimmer still gets the offer and the CTA.
Hitting a target length
01Write to the time, then cut 10%
Draft to your target reading time, then remove a tenth. Tighter copy always reads faster and lands harder.
02Front load the payoff
Skimmers decide in the first 15 seconds. Put the value up top so a partial read still delivers the message.
03Match speed to audience
Technical readers go slower; consumers skim faster. Set the pace here to the audience you're actually writing for.
04Script to 130 words a minute
For video and voiceover, budget about 130 words per spoken minute and read your draft aloud against a timer.
05Add a reading time label
Showing '4 min read' sets expectations and measurably lifts the share of people who start the piece.
The vocabulary
- Words per minute (WPM)
- How many words a person reads or speaks in a minute. The lever that converts word count into time.
- Silent reading speed
- Average adult silent reading runs about 238 wpm for non technical prose; skimmers go much faster.
- Speaking rate
- Comfortable spoken delivery is roughly 130 to 150 wpm, far slower than reading, which is why scripts run long.
- Reading time label
- The '5 min read' badge on an article. A small UX cue that lifts the start rate.
Reading time questions, straight answers
Reading time is simply word count divided by a reading speed in words per minute. We default to 238 wpm, the average adult silent reading speed from recent meta analyses of reading research, and let you switch to slow or fast to match your audience or content type.
Keep going
A calculator tells you what. A call tells you what to do about it.
Send me the account behind these numbers. I'll tell you straight where the money's leaking and what I'd fix first — free, and you keep it whether you hire me or not.