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Word Counter
Words, sentences, paragraphs — with reading time included.
Student · Free tool
Reading Time Calculator
Paste any text and see how long it takes to read at slow, average, and fast speeds — the word count comes straight from your text.
Estimate reading time
Paste anything — the word count is measured from the text itself.
Estimated time
How it works
Words per minute, three ways
Count first
The text is split into words the same way a word processor does — whitespace-separated tokens. That count is the basis for every estimate.
Divide by speed
Reading time = words ÷ words-per-minute. 1,000 words at 200 wpm is 5 minutes; at 130 wpm it is roughly 7.7 minutes.
Pick your reality
Study notes read slower, blog posts faster. The three speeds bracket the likely range instead of pretending to be a stopwatch.
Questions
Reading time FAQ
What speed should I assume?
200 words per minute is the common baseline for adults reading typical content. Choose 130 for dense study material and 240 for skimming or familiar writing.
Does punctuation or formatting affect the estimate?
Only through the word count. Paragraphs and headings are not counted as words, so heavy formatting makes the estimate slightly conservative.
Can I use the count for a word limit too?
Yes — the word count shown is the same one the Word Counter tool reports. Use that tool when you need sentences, paragraphs, and reading time together.