How long does it take to read a text? Enter a word count and a reading speed to get the time, based on the 238 wpm meta-analytic average.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| 1,000 words at 238 wpm | 4 min 12 s |
| 2,000 words at 238 wpm | 8 min 24 s |
| 5,000 words at 238 wpm | 21 min 1 s |
| 1,000 words read aloud | 5 min 28 s |
Most old reading-time tools use 200 words per minute. That number traces back to a 1960s study of mid-century college readers and it is low for today's adults. The current best estimate is Marc Brysbaert's 2019 meta-analysis in the Journal of Memory and Language (volume 109, article 104047), which pooled 190 independent studies and 18,573 participants: adults silently reading English non-fiction average 238 words per minute, fiction runs slightly faster at about 260 wpm, and reading aloud averages 183 wpm.
Two things follow. First, the spread is wide — most adults fall between roughly 175 and 300 wpm on non-fiction, with a standard deviation near 60 wpm. Second, reading speed is not a measure of intelligence: it drops about 25% when text moves from narrative news to a scientific abstract, and readers over 70 lose roughly one to two words per minute per year of age.
| Activity | Words per minute | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adult silent reading, non-fiction | 238 | Brysbaert (2019), 190 studies |
| Adult silent reading, fiction | ~260 | Brysbaert (2019) |
| Reading aloud | 183 | Brysbaert (2019), 77 studies |
| Careful / study reading of technical text | ~180 | Brysbaert (2019), difficulty effect |
| Prepared speech with pauses | 130-150 | Public-speaking convention |
| Audiobook narration | 150-160 | ACX narrator guidelines (~155 wpm) |
| Fast reader | ~350 | Upper end of the normal distribution |
| Skimming / scanning | 450+ | Not reading for comprehension |
Speeds above about 400 wpm in normal adults mean scanning, not reading. The 2019 meta-analysis found no evidence for distinct "reading gears" — the only real distinction is between reading (comprehending most of the text) and scanning for a specific piece of information.
Displaying a reading time tells readers what they are committing to, which is why most publishing platforms show one. If your audience is reading on a phone in a spare five minutes, 1,200 words is about right. If you are writing to be skimmed — a reference page, a spec — assume 450 wpm and structure with headings that carry the meaning on their own.
For scripts the arithmetic reverses: a 10-minute talk is about 1,500 words at 150 wpm, not the 2,400 words a silent reader could cover in the same time. That gap is the single most common reason presentations run long.
About 4 minutes 12 seconds at the adult silent-reading average of 238 words per minute. Read aloud it takes roughly 5 minutes 28 seconds, and a careful study read of technical text closer to 5½ minutes.
238 words per minute for adults reading English non-fiction silently, from a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies and 18,573 participants. Fiction averages about 260 wpm and reading aloud about 183 wpm.
It is above average but well inside the normal range — most adults fall between 175 and 300 wpm on non-fiction, and the standard deviation is about 60 wpm.
Because they still use a figure from a 1960s study of college readers. The 2019 meta-analysis supersedes it with 238 wpm for non-fiction, which is the number used here.
No. The calculation is purely words divided by speed. Add roughly 10–20% for dense layout, tables or code, and add 10–20% again if the material is being delivered as a speech with pauses for effect.