About Reading Time Calculator
A reading time calculator divides your word count by an average reading speed. This one uses 238 words per minute, a commonly cited average for adults reading English prose silently, and shows the result as minutes and seconds. It is free, needs no sign-up and runs in your browser, so nothing you enter is uploaded.
Paste an article, blog post or email into the box and the Reading time tile updates as you type. Use it to put a "5 min read" label on a post, to check that a newsletter is not too long, or to see whether a document can be read in a meeting.
The figure is an average, so treat it as a guide. Technical text, unfamiliar words, small screens and reading in a second language slow people down, while skimming is much faster. The tool counts the words as they are and does not add time for images, tables or code.
How to use Reading Time Calculator
- Type in the box or paste your text. The counts update as you edit, with no button to press.
- Read the tiles above the box: words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, reading time, speaking time and pages.
- Enter a number in Word goal to track a target. The bar shows the percentage, how many words are left, or how many you are over.
- Scroll to Keyword density and pick 1-word, 2-word or 3-word phrases. Leave Ignore common words ticked to hide filler such as "the" and "and".
- Edit your text and watch the numbers change. Use Clear to empty the box. Your text is kept in this browser so a reload does not lose it.
Features
- Live counts for words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines.
- Reading time at 238 words per minute and speaking time at 150.
- Page estimate for single spacing (500 words a page) and double spacing (250).
- A word goal with a progress bar that turns red when you pass the target.
- Keyword density for 1, 2 and 3 word phrases, with an option to ignore common words.
- Longest word, average word length and average sentence length.
- Counts characters as people see them, so an emoji or a Bangla conjunct letter counts once.
- Handles Chinese, Japanese, Thai and other scripts written without spaces, and treats the Bangla danda as the end of a sentence.
- Text is saved in your browser only, so you can come back to it.
Reading time formula
Words divided by 238, converted to minutes and seconds.
reading seconds = round(words / 238 * 60)Reading time by word count
| Words | Reading time |
|---|---|
| 100 | 25 sec |
| 300 | 1 min 16 sec |
| 500 | 2 min 6 sec |
| 800 | 3 min 22 sec |
| 1000 | 4 min 12 sec |
| 1500 | 6 min 18 sec |
| 2000 | 8 min 24 sec |
| 3000 | 12 min 36 sec |
| 5000 | 21 min 1 sec |
Privacy: how it works
- The counting runs in your browser tab. Your text is not sent to Ulkaa or to any other server.
- The text box is saved to your browser local storage so a refresh does not wipe it. That copy stays on your device. Press Clear, or clear site data, to remove it.
Tips
- Count only what the limit counts. If an essay limit excludes the title, references or a bibliography, delete them from the box first.
- Aim a little under a hard word limit, because a different tool may count a few more.
- For a spoken piece, use the speaking time and read the text aloud once. Pauses, slides and questions make real talks longer than the number shows.
- Use the 2-word and 3-word keyword views to spot a phrase you repeat without meaning to.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no price, no trial and no credit card. Ulkaa Tool does the work with your own device, so there is no server bill to pass on to you.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no login. Open the page and use it. An Ulkaa account is not needed for anything on this tool.
Does it run in my browser?
Yes. Your text are processed by code running in your browser tab, on your own device.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Your text are never sent to Ulkaa or to anyone else. You can check this yourself by watching the Network tab in your browser developer tools while you use the tool.
What reading speed does it use?
238 words per minute, an often-quoted average for adult silent reading of non-fiction in English. Individual speeds vary widely.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 min 12 sec at 238 words per minute.
Does the reading time include images or code?
No. It is based on the words in the box only. Add your own allowance if the piece has many images, tables or code blocks.
More Word Counter pages
- Word CounterPaste or type your text to see words, characters, sentences, reading time and more, live.
- Essay Word CounterPaste your essay, set the word limit and see how many words you have left.
- Words to Pages ConverterPaste your text to see how many pages it fills, or use the table to convert a word count.
- How Many Pages Is 500 Words?See how 500 words fits on a page, then count your own text.
- How Many Pages Is 1000 Words?See how many pages 1000 words fills, then count your own text.
- Sentence CounterPaste your text to count its sentences and see the average sentence length.
- Paragraph CounterPaste your text to count paragraphs, lines, sentences and words.
- Speaking Time CalculatorPaste your speech or script to see how long it takes to say.