Word counter and reading time calculator
How long will this take to read, or to say out loud in the meeting? Paste the text, or type a word count.
0 / 20,000 characters · saved in this browser only · upload a PDF or screenshot to pull out its text
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- No spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Avg sentence
- 0
Words to minutes
| Words | Reading (238 wpm) | Speaking (150 wpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 25 sec | 40 sec |
| 250 | 1 min 3 sec | 1 min 40 sec |
| 500 | 2 min 6 sec | 3 min 20 sec |
| 750 | 3 min 9 sec | 5 min |
| 1,000 | 4 min 12 sec | 6 min 40 sec |
| 1,500 | 6 min 18 sec | 10 min |
| 2,000 | 8 min 24 sec | 13 min 20 sec |
| 3,000 | 12 min 36 sec | 20 min |
| 5,000 | 21 min 1 sec | 33 min 20 sec |
Typical lengths in business writing
- Email: 50–200 words; under a minute to read.
- Executive summary: 150–300 words; one screen, about a minute.
- One-page memo or brief: 400–600 words.
- Five-minute talk: about 750 words at 150 wpm.
Questions people ask
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time = word count ÷ reading speed. By default we use 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adult non-fiction found in Marc Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies. You can change the speed to match your audience.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes 12 seconds at 238 words per minute, and around 6 minutes 40 seconds to say aloud at a presentation pace of 150 words per minute.
How many words per minute do people speak?
Presentations and speeches typically run 130–160 words per minute; 150 is a common planning figure. Nervous speakers go faster, so for a timed talk plan for the lower end.
How long should a business email be?
Short enough to read in under a minute on a phone: roughly 50–200 words. Boomerang’s analysis of over 40 million emails found that messages of 50–125 words had the highest response rates. If it is longer, put the ask in the first two lines.
Does the word counter count characters too?
Yes: characters with and without spaces, words, sentences, paragraphs and reading and speaking time, all updated as you type.