What is the average adult reading speed?

A 2019 meta-analysis by Marc Brysbaert (Journal of Memory and Language) puts average adult silent reading at about 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. This tool uses 238 wpm as the average reader, with 150 and 350 wpm as slow and fast rates.

How is reading time calculated?

Reading time = total word count ÷ reading speed (wpm). The result is rounded up to the nearest minute.

Why show a reading time?

It tells readers up front how much time a post, article or email asks of them, and helps you check that a piece fits a slot such as a 5-minute read. At 238 wpm, a 5-minute read is roughly 1,200 words.

How long does a 1,000-word article take to read?

About 5 minutes at 238 words per minute (1,000 ÷ 238 = 4.2, rounded up), 7 minutes at 150 wpm and 3 minutes at 350 wpm.

Reading time estimator

Paste your text to get an estimated reading time at slow (150 wpm), average (238 wpm), and fast (350 wpm) reading speeds. Also shows word count and character count.

Paste some text above to see readability stats.

How it works

The tool counts words, sentences, and syllables from your pasted text. Syllables are approximated by counting vowel groups per word, subtracting silent endings (-e, -ed, -es) and adding a syllable for a consonant plus -le. The Flesch formulas use average sentence length (ASL = words ÷ sentences) and average syllables per word (ASW = syllables ÷ words). Reading time divides the word count by the words-per-minute rate. Chinese and Japanese have no spaces between words, so each Chinese or Japanese character counts as one word. All analysis runs in your browser.

Processing runs in your browser

All analysis happens instantly in your browser tab. Our servers are not involved at any point.

Related operations

For checking length while drafting, try the word counter. To generate placeholder copy to test layouts, use lorem ipsum. For normalising title casing, see the case converter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average adult reading speed?: A 2019 meta-analysis by Marc Brysbaert (Journal of Memory and Language) puts average adult silent reading at about 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. This tool uses 238 wpm as the average reader, with 150 and 350 wpm as slow and fast rates.
How is reading time calculated?: Reading time = total word count ÷ reading speed (wpm). The result is rounded up to the nearest minute.
Why show a reading time?: It tells readers up front how much time a post, article or email asks of them, and helps you check that a piece fits a slot such as a 5-minute read. At 238 wpm, a 5-minute read is roughly 1,200 words.
How long does a 1,000-word article take to read?: About 5 minutes at 238 words per minute (1,000 ÷ 238 = 4.2, rounded up), 7 minutes at 150 wpm and 3 minutes at 350 wpm.

Last reviewed September 30, 2026

Other pages for this tool

Related tools

Background reading: Complete guide to text tools