W Words Counter AI
For bloggers, scriptwriters and speech-givers

Reading time calculator — words to minutes.

Paste your draft and see how long it takes to read silently and aloud. Tuned to standard rates: 200 wpm reading, 130 wpm speaking. Includes a cheat sheet for talk lengths.

Your text

Speech-length cheat sheet

Approximate word counts for common talk lengths at three pacing speeds. Aim for the middle column unless you’re a habitual fast or slow speaker.

Length Slow (110 wpm) Standard (130 wpm) Fast / TED (160 wpm)
1 minute (elevator pitch)110130160
2 minutes220260320
3 minutes330390480
5 minutes550650800
7 minutes7709101,120
10 minutes (TED talk)1,1001,3001,600
15 minutes1,6501,9502,400
20 minutes (keynote)2,2002,6003,200
30 minutes (lecture)3,3003,9004,800
45 minutes4,9505,8507,200
60 minutes6,6007,8009,600

How long does writing take to read?

Most modern reading-time formulas assume 200 words per minute for an average adult reading silently. Fluent readers cruise at 250–300 wpm; readers tackling unfamiliar or technical material drop to 150 wpm. We use 200 wpm and round up to the nearest whole minute.

For speaking aloud, 130 wpm is the sweet spot for clear delivery — fast enough to feel energetic, slow enough that audiences can keep up. Voice actors record audiobooks at 150–160 wpm. TED speakers average 160 wpm. Slow your pace to ~110 wpm when delivering emotional or technical material so the audience has time to absorb each phrase.

Quick rules of thumb

  • 1,000 words = ≈ 5 minutes silent reading, ≈ 8 minutes spoken.
  • A typical 1,500-word blog post = ≈ 7–8 minutes to read silently.
  • A novel chapter (3,500 words) = ≈ 18 minutes silent reading.
  • A church sermon at 130 wpm runs about 2,000–2,500 words for a 20-minute talk.
  • Always rehearse with a stopwatch — your real-world pace will surprise you.

Ad-hoc adjustments

If your text contains lots of numbers, names, technical terms or quoted dialogue, add 10–15% to the spoken time. Audiences need extra processing time on names and figures, and pauses for emphasis stretch the runtime. If you have audience interaction (Q&A, applause, laughter), build in another 15–20% per planned interaction.

Other tools

Same engine, different focus.

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Open word counter →

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Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and SMS limits with a live remaining-character indicator.

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Readability checker

Flesch, Flesch-Kincaid, Coleman-Liau and ARI — with a plain-English explainer for each.

Open readability checker →

Frequently asked questions

How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At a comfortable speaking pace of 130 words per minute, a 5-minute speech is around 650 words. Faster speakers (TED-talk pace at 160 wpm) deliver about 800 words; slower, more emphatic speakers (110 wpm for keynotes) deliver about 550 words.
How many words is a 10-minute presentation?
A 10-minute presentation at 130 words per minute runs to roughly 1,300 words. Allow for pauses, slide transitions and audience reaction by trimming to 1,100–1,200 words.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
At an average adult reading speed of 200–250 words per minute, 1,000 words takes 4–5 minutes to read silently. Reading aloud at conversational pace (130 wpm) takes about 7–8 minutes.
What words-per-minute rate should I use?
Silent reading: 200 wpm for an average adult, 250–300 wpm for fluent readers. Speaking aloud: 130 wpm for a clear, paced delivery, 150 wpm for conversational, 160+ wpm for TED-talk speed. Slow down to ~110 wpm for emotionally weighty or technical content.