How to Calculate Reading Time for Your Articles Before Publishing

A "6 min read" label tells readers what they're signing up for. Working it out is simple: divide the word count by a reading speed. The only real decision is which speed to use.

The formula

Reading time in minutes = words ÷ words per minute, rounded up.

A 1,500-word article at 238 words per minute takes about 6.3 minutes, so call it a 7-minute read.

Which reading speed to use

• 238 words per minute: a 2019 review of reading studies by psychologist Marc Brysbaert estimated this as the average silent reading speed for English non-fiction. A good default.
• 200 words per minute: a cautious figure for technical, academic or unfamiliar content, or for readers on phones.
• 250 to 265 words per minute: for light, conversational writing.

Pick one figure and use it across your site, so labels are consistent.

Add time for other content

• Images and charts: add a few seconds each, more for charts that need studying.
• Code and tables: readers slow down a lot; count them more heavily or add a minute or two.
• Videos: mention their length separately rather than adding it in.

How to count the words

• Your editor's word count, such as Tools → Word count in Google Docs.
• The reading time calculator or word counter: paste your text.
• For a page that's already published, Word Counter counts words, sentences and paragraphs on the page or in selected text, and shows the reading time at the speed you set.

Count only the article itself, not menus, comments or footers.

Where to show it

• Near the title, alongside the date or author.
• Round to whole minutes. "7 min read" is easier to take in than "6 min 18 sec".
• Many publishing platforms calculate it for you; check which speed they use.

Does reading time help?

It sets expectations, which helps readers decide to start a long piece now or save it for later. It doesn't make an article better, so don't pad or cut just to hit a number. See how long a blog post should be.

Make long pieces easier

Clear headings, short paragraphs and a summary at the top help readers who skim. See writing scannable content. For readers, Reading Progress Bar shows how far through a page they are.