How reading time is estimated
Reading time is simply the word count divided by reading speed, measured in words per minute (wpm). Large studies of adults put silent reading of English prose at around 238 wpm on average, with most people between 175 (slow) and 300 (fast).
The calculator counts the words in your text (any run of non-space characters), then divides by your chosen speed. It shows the time at slow, average and fast rates so you can bracket the real figure, since reading speed varies with the reader and the difficulty of the material.
Worked example
A 1,500-word article at the average 238 wpm:
Reading vs speaking
People read silently faster than they speak. Comfortable speaking pace for a presentation or audiobook is about 150 wpm, so the same text takes noticeably longer to read aloud - useful for timing a speech, podcast or video script. The calculator shows both. Dense, technical or unfamiliar text reads more slowly than easy prose, so treat the estimate as a guide. Everything is computed in your browser.