Reading Time Calculator

Use 238 words per minute. That figure is the meta-analytic mean for silent reading of non-fiction prose by adult native English speakers in Brysbaert (2019), 'How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate' (Journal of Memory and Language, vol. 109). The 238 wpm number pools data across 190 studies and ~18,000 readers and corrects for the way older estimates (often quoted as 200 or 250 wpm) used inflated rates from oral reading or skimming. For mixed audiences the 238 wpm default produces estimates that match how long readers actually spend on an article in real reading analytics.

The calculator applies planning multipliers of 0.7x for technical text, 0.5x for academic text, and 0.3x for code. These are product heuristics, not universal findings from one study. Actual speed depends on prior knowledge, text difficulty, purpose, and required retention, so adjust the base speed when you have audience data.

Not by one fixed percentage. Screen size, layout, scrolling, typography, reader behavior, and study design all affect speed and comprehension. Nielsen's 2008 article about how much web content people read did not establish a universal 20% to 25% screen penalty. Use observed audience data instead of adding a fixed adjustment.

Reading faster usually trades away detail and comprehension, especially for unfamiliar material. There is no universal words-per-minute point at which comprehension falls to a fixed percentage. Treat the calculator's high-speed settings as skimming or scanning scenarios, then validate them with the actual text and reader goal.

Publishing platforms can change their read-time algorithms and may account for media differently. This calculator does not reproduce Medium's current private implementation. Set the words-per-minute input and content multiplier that match your own publishing rule, then treat the result as an estimate.