Reading Time Calculator

Words to Minutes Chart

The quick-reference table: common word counts converted to speaking time and silent reading time at slow, average and fast speeds. For any other word count, use the calculator.

WordsSpeaking timeReading time (silent)
Slow 100Average 130Fast 160Slow 180Average 238Fast 300
1001 min46 sec38 sec33 sec25 sec20 sec
2502 min 30 sec1 min 55 sec1 min 34 sec1 min 23 sec1 min 3 sec50 sec
5005 min3 min 51 sec3 min 8 sec2 min 47 sec2 min 6 sec1 min 40 sec
7507 min 30 sec5 min 46 sec4 min 41 sec4 min 10 sec3 min 9 sec2 min 30 sec
1,00010 min7 min 42 sec6 min 15 sec5 min 33 sec4 min 12 sec3 min 20 sec
1,50015 min11 min 32 sec9 min 23 sec8 min 20 sec6 min 18 sec5 min
2,00020 min15 min 23 sec12 min 30 sec11 min 7 sec8 min 24 sec6 min 40 sec
2,50025 min19 min 14 sec15 min 38 sec13 min 53 sec10 min 30 sec8 min 20 sec
3,00030 min23 min 5 sec18 min 45 sec16 min 40 sec12 min 36 sec10 min
4,00040 min30 min 46 sec25 min22 min 13 sec16 min 48 sec13 min 20 sec
5,00050 min38 min 28 sec31 min 15 sec27 min 47 sec21 min 1 sec16 min 40 sec
7,5001 h 15 min57 min 42 sec46 min 53 sec41 min 40 sec31 min 31 sec25 min
10,0001 h 40 min1 h 16 min1 h 2 min55 min 33 sec42 min 1 sec33 min 20 sec
15,0002 h 30 min1 h 55 min1 h 33 min1 h 23 min1 h 3 min50 min
20,0003 h 20 min2 h 33 min2 h 5 min1 h 51 min1 h 24 min1 h 6 min

Speeds in words per minute (wpm). Highlighted columns are the averages: speaking 130 wpm, reading 238 wpm. See methodology for where these speeds come from.

How to read this chart

Find your word count in the left column, then read across. The speaking columns answer “how long is this script or speech?”; the reading columns answer “how long will this take to read?”. A 5,000-word keynote, for instance, is about 38 min spoken at an average pace — a fact that has surprised many speakers who wrote it as a “20-minute talk”.

Working the other way — you have the minutes and need the words? Use the how-many-words table or the calculator's reverse mode.