About

ReadMinutes is a free reading time calculator. Paste any text or enter a word count, and the tool estimates how long it will take to read — silently, aloud, or as an audiobook.

Why we built it

Every writer, blogger, student, or speaker has hit the same question: how long does this take to read? A “5 min read” badge, a 10-minute talk, an assigned chapter — they all come down to the same math, but the average person shouldn't have to open a calculator to figure it out.

We built ReadMinutes to be the fastest way to answer that question. No signup, no tracking beyond basic analytics, no ads blocking the tool itself. Your text never leaves your browser — the entire calculation runs client-side.

How it works

The tool uses established words-per-minute averages from reading research:

• Silent reading: 238 WPM (average adult, non-fiction). Source: Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109.
• Reading aloud: 183 WPM (average adult, English).
• Audiobook narration: 150 WPM (typical professional pace).

You can override any of these with a custom WPM if you read faster or slower than average.

Who's behind this

ReadMinutes is a product of Olive Green Holdings Limited, a company registered in New Zealand (company number 9280080). If you have a suggestion, a correction, or want to tell us your WPM, reach us via the contact page.

What's next

We're adding:

• A live words-per-minute reading test
• Per-book reading-time pages for popular titles
• A dedicated speech-time calculator
• An audiobook-length estimator with playback-speed adjustment

If you rely on this tool, consider bookmarking the page or sharing it with someone who'd find it useful.