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Reading time calculator
Paste a text or type a word, page or slide count. You get the time to read it silently and the time to say it out loud.
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238 is the adult average for non-fiction (Brysbaert, 2019). Most people read between 175 and 300.
Reading aloud averages 183 (same study). Presenting with pauses is slower; 140 is a starting point.
Time to read
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- Time to say it out loud
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- Words
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An average, not a promise: dense or technical text takes longer, and people skim. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.
Where the speeds come from
The defaults come from Marc Brysbaert's 2019 review of 190 reading studies with about 18,500 participants. Adults read English non-fiction silently at 238 words per minute on average and fiction at 260, because non-fiction uses longer words. Reading aloud averages 183. The speaking default of 140 is lower on purpose: when you present, you pause for slides, questions and breath. Time yourself on one page and type your own number for a better estimate.
| Length | Read at 238 wpm | Present at 140 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| 500 words (a long email, a one-page proposal) | 2 min 06 s | 3 min 34 s |
| 1,000 words (a blog post) | 4 min 12 s | 7 min 09 s |
| 2,500 words (a detailed proposal) | 10 min 30 s | 17 min 51 s |
| 5,000 words (a short report) | 21 min 01 s | 35 min 43 s |
Pitch decks and proposals
An estimate tells you how long a document should take. It doesn't tell you what the client did with it. A client can open your deck, jump to pricing or the team slide and close it. If you share the PDF through Document Tracking, you see roughly how long each page stayed on screen for visitors who agree to share it, so you know whether the case studies were read before the follow-up call. Writing the proposal itself? Start from the guide to writing a freelance proposal.
IN SHORT
Reading time = words ÷ reading speed. The average adult reads English non-fiction at about 238 words per minute (Brysbaert, 2019), so 1,000 words take about 4 minutes 12 seconds. Reading aloud averages 183 words per minute, and a presentation with pauses runs slower, so plan around 140 when you rehearse a talk.
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Questions
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
How many words per minute does the average person read?
How long is a 10-minute speech?
How long will a client spend on my proposal or pitch deck?
How many words are on a page?
See how long they actually read
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