Estimate reading time for an article, with an adjustable reading speed.
This estimates how long an article takes to read based on its word count and a reading speed you can adjust — 200 words per minute is a commonly cited average for adult silent reading, but actual speed varies a lot by content density, familiarity with the topic, and individual reading habits.
Adjusting the slider lets you match your actual audience — technical or unfamiliar content is often read more slowly than the 200 WPM average, while a fast-reading audience skimming familiar material might read faster. The badge text at the bottom is ready to copy directly onto a blog post or article page, in the "X min read" format readers are used to seeing.
This is a word-count-based estimate, not a measurement of actual reading behavior — it doesn't account for images, code blocks, or complex diagrams that might add significant time beyond the word count alone.
Worked example: a 1,518-word blog post at the default 200 WPM gives 1,518 ÷ 200 = 7.59, rounded to 8 minutes — the result is always rounded to the nearest whole minute (with a minimum of 1), not rounded up, so a post landing at 7.4 minutes would display as "7 min read," not 8.
It’s a commonly cited average for adult silent reading of general-audience text. Adjust the slider up or down to match your specific audience and content.
No — the estimate is based purely on word count. Content with many images, diagrams, or code samples will typically take longer to read than the word-count estimate alone suggests.
Technical or unfamiliar material is often read noticeably slower than general text — try 120-150 WPM as a starting point and adjust based on your own audience’s feedback.