Reading time calculator

225 words per minute, the usual estimate for an adult reading non-technical prose. Dense or technical material runs slower, and skimming runs much faster.

Speech has a natural pace — about 150 words per minute at normal speed, slower than most people read. At 1.5× the two are level, and from 1.75× upward listening becomes the faster of the two. The real gain is that listening fits into time you could not have read in at all.

It is an estimate from your word count, which is the same method used for the “5 min read” label on most articles. Treat it as a good guide rather than a stopwatch.