Free tool
Reading time calculator
Paste an article, or enter a word count or a number of pages, and this reading time calculator shows how long it takes to read silently: at 238 words a minute, the adult average, or at your own measured speed.
- Free
- Instant
- Your text stays in your browser
Reading speed
238 words a minute: the average adult reading non-fiction.
Reading time
0 min
Paste a text, or enter a word count or a number of pages, and the time to read it appears here.
Reading is quicker than listening back. NoteOwl turns each meeting into a short summary with the decisions and action items, written privately on your Mac.
How it works
How do you calculate reading time?
Divide the number of words by a reading speed. At the adult average of 238 words a minute, a 1,000-word article takes 4 min 12 s and a 2,500-word report 10 min 30 s. The calculator does it as you paste, at three speeds or your own.
- 1
Add the text
Paste it, type a word count, or enter the pages of a book and the words on one full page.
- 2
Choose a speed
Slow (175), average (238) or fast (300) words a minute, or measure your own with a 247-word passage.
- 3
Read the result
The reading time, the time at each speed, the time to read it aloud, and a “min read” label to copy for a blog post.
What is the average reading speed?
About 238 words a minute for adults reading non-fiction silently in English, and 260 for fiction; most adults read non-fiction at 175 to 300[1]. That’s slower than the figures often quoted online, which a review of 190 studies found were too high.
- Slow reader
- Speed175 words a minute
- 1,000 words5 min 43 s
- NotesThe low end for most adults reading non-fiction
- Average, non-fiction
- Speed238 words a minute
- 1,000 words4 min 12 s
- NotesThe adult average for articles, reports and textbooks
- Average, fiction
- Speed260 words a minute
- 1,000 words3 min 51 s
- NotesNovels and stories, which use shorter words
- Fast reader
- Speed300 words a minute
- 1,000 words3 min 20 s
- NotesThe high end for most adults reading non-fiction
- Reading aloud
- Speed183 words a minute
- 1,000 words5 min 28 s
- NotesOut loud, at a natural pace
| Reader | Speed | 1,000 words | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow reader | 175 words a minute | 5 min 43 s | The low end for most adults reading non-fiction |
| Average, non-fiction | 238 words a minute | 4 min 12 s | The adult average for articles, reports and textbooks |
| Average, fiction | 260 words a minute | 3 min 51 s | Novels and stories, which use shorter words |
| Fast reader | 300 words a minute | 3 min 20 s | The high end for most adults reading non-fiction |
| Reading aloud | 183 words a minute | 5 min 28 s | Out loud, at a natural pace |
How long does it take to read a book?
Multiply the pages by the words on a full page, then divide by your speed. A 320-page novel with 300 words a page is 96,000 words: about 6 h 9 min at 260 words a minute, the average for fiction.
- 500 words
- Slow · 1752 min 51 s
- Average · 2382 min 6 s
- Fast · 3001 min 40 s
- 1,000 words
- Slow · 1755 min 43 s
- Average · 2384 min 12 s
- Fast · 3003 min 20 s
- 2,000 words
- Slow · 17511 min 26 s
- Average · 2388 min 24 s
- Fast · 3006 min 40 s
- 5,000 words
- Slow · 17528 min 34 s
- Average · 23821 min 1 s
- Fast · 30016 min 40 s
- 10,000 words
- Slow · 17557 min 9 s
- Average · 23842 min 1 s
- Fast · 30033 min 20 s
- 50,000 words
- Slow · 1754 h 45 min
- Average · 2383 h 30 min
- Fast · 3002 h 46 min
- 90,000 words
- Slow · 1758 h 34 min
- Average · 2386 h 18 min
- Fast · 3005 h
| Length | Slow · 175 | Average · 238 | Fast · 300 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 words | 2 min 51 s | 2 min 6 s | 1 min 40 s |
| 1,000 words | 5 min 43 s | 4 min 12 s | 3 min 20 s |
| 2,000 words | 11 min 26 s | 8 min 24 s | 6 min 40 s |
| 5,000 words | 28 min 34 s | 21 min 1 s | 16 min 40 s |
| 10,000 words | 57 min 9 s | 42 min 1 s | 33 min 20 s |
| 50,000 words | 4 h 45 min | 3 h 30 min | 2 h 46 min |
| 90,000 words | 8 h 34 min | 6 h 18 min | 5 h |
What does “min read” mean on an article?
It’s the article’s word count divided by a reading speed, rounded to whole minutes, so readers know what they’re starting. At 238 words a minute, a 1,200-word post is a “5 min read”. Paste your draft above and copy the label it gives.
Can you read a meeting instead of replaying it?
Yes. An hour-long call is about 9,000 spoken words at 150 a minute[2], and listening back takes the full hour. NoteOwl records the meeting on your Mac and writes a short summary to read instead.
The summary comes with the decisions and the action items, so you read the outcome and open the transcript only where you need it.
FAQ
Questions about reading time
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 min 12 s at the average adult reading speed of 238 words a minute; 5 min 43 s for a slow reader and 3 min 20 s for a fast one. NoteOwl’s reading time calculator works it out for any text you paste.
How long does it take to read 5,000 words?
About 21 min 1 s at 238 words a minute, the average for adults reading non-fiction silently, and 19 min 14 s for fiction, which is read a little faster. Read aloud at an average 183 words a minute, it takes 27 min 19 s.
How do I find my own reading speed?
Press “Measure my reading speed” in the reading time calculator, then Start, and read the passage the way you normally read. Press Done at the last word: your words a minute appear and become the calculator’s speed.
Is reading aloud slower than reading silently?
Yes. Adults read English aloud at about 183 words a minute on average, against 238 for silent reading of non-fiction, so reading a text out takes about 30% longer. For a speech, use the speech time calculator, which is set to speaking paces.
Does the reading time calculator work in other languages?
It counts words in any language, and splits Chinese, Japanese and Thai into words with your browser’s own word segmenter. The 238 average comes from studies of English, so for another language, time yourself reading a page of it and enter your own speed.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The reading time calculator counts the words in your browser and the text never leaves the page. Nothing is stored; closing the tab clears it.
Sources
Last checked .
- [1]Marc Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language 109 (2019), How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate — 190 studies, 18,573 readers: silent reading of English averages 238 words a minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction, most adults 175–300 for non-fiction; reading aloud 183
- [2]VirtualSpeech, Average speaking rate and words per minute — about 150 words a minute in American English conversation; presentations 100–150, citing the National Center for Voice and Speech
Keep exploring
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- Speech time calculatorHow long a speech takes to say from its word count, at a slow, average or fast pace, and how many words fit in a set time
- Online teleprompterPaste a script and it scrolls past a reading line at a speed set in words a minute, with mirror mode, text size, full screen and keyboard control
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About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
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