How Reading Time is Calculated
The formula
Reading time is estimated by dividing the number of words in a text by a words-per-minute (WPM) reading speed:
A 1,000-word article at 200 WPM takes approximately 5 minutes to read.
What counts as a word?
This tool splits text on whitespace — any sequence of non-space characters counts as one word. Hyphenated compounds (e.g. “well-known”) count as one word. Numbers and punctuation-only tokens are excluded from the count by default.
Reading speed benchmarks
| Reader type | WPM range | Comprehension |
|---|---|---|
| Slow / struggling | 100–150 | High |
| Average adult | 200–250 | High |
| Proficient | 250–350 | Good |
| Fast reader | 350–500 | Moderate |
| Speed reader | 500–1000+ | Variable |
Source: Rayner et al. (2016), Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
Why estimates vary across platforms
Medium uses 265 WPM. Basecamp historically used 200 WPM. Some tools use character count rather than word count. None of these are wrong — they reflect different assumptions about the target audience. Our tool shows five estimates so you can pick the one most relevant to your readers.
Factors not captured by this estimate
- Technical or unfamiliar vocabulary slows reading significantly
- Images and diagrams add time not counted in word totals
- Interactive or code-heavy content (e.g., tutorials) takes much longer
- Sub-vocalisation habits affect individual reading speed