OnlyMovHow to Calculate Reading Time
By OnlyMov Editorial Team · · Editorial policy
"6 min read" is one of the most-copied UI patterns on the web — because it works. Readers commit more readily when the cost is visible. The calculation behind it is simple division, but the right divisor depends on what you've written and who's reading. Here's the formula, the numbers, and how to use the result honestly.
Free tool for this task
Skip the manual work — use Reading Time Calculator to do this instantly.
The formula and the baseline numbers
Reading time = word count ÷ reading speed (words per minute)
Working numbers from reading research:
- Silent reading, adult average: 220–260 wpm for non-technical prose — most tools use ~230–240
- Technical or unfamiliar material: 100–150 wpm, with re-reading
- Skimming: 400–700 wpm — how most web "reading" actually happens
- Reading aloud: 130–160 wpm — the number for scripts, speeches, and voiceovers
A 1,200-word article: ~5 minutes silent, ~8.5 minutes read aloud. Same text, different divisors.
Adjust for what's actually on the page
Word count alone undercounts anything that isn't prose:
- Images that carry content (charts, diagrams, screenshots) — add ~5–10 seconds each
- Code blocks — read far slower than prose; double their effective time
- Tables — readers slow down and scan; treat like images
- Video embeds — either add the video length or label it separately
For a text-only blog post, plain division is fine. For a tutorial dense with screenshots and code, unadjusted reading time can understate real time by half — and an inaccurate label is worse than none.
Using reading time well
- Blog posts and newsletters — show it near the title; it sets honest expectations and measurably increases starts on mid-length pieces
- Speeches and scripts — calculate at 130–160 wpm to rehearse against your slot; a 10-minute slot fits roughly 1,400 spoken words
- Internal docs — a "3 min read" label on a memo raises the odds busy colleagues read it now instead of never
One honesty rule: round up. A reader finishing faster than promised feels efficient; one finishing slower feels misled. And if the time looks scary — a "22 min read" — that's not a labeling problem; it's a signal to split the piece.
Step-by-step summary
- 1
Count the words
Paste into a word counter — includes everything a reader will actually read.
- 2
Pick the right divisor
~230 wpm for prose, ~140 for reading aloud, slower for technical content.
- 3
Adjust for non-prose elements
Add time for images, code, and tables; round the result up.
Frequently asked questions
- What reading speed do most "min read" labels use?
- Most platforms divide by roughly 230–265 words per minute — Medium's widely-copied figure is 265, with a small addition per image. That approximates an average adult reading non-technical prose.
- How many words is a 5-minute read?
- About 1,100–1,300 words of ordinary prose at typical silent-reading speed. Spoken aloud, 5 minutes covers only about 700 words — the difference matters when writing scripts.
- Does showing reading time increase engagement?
- Generally yes for short and mid-length content — visible cost lowers commitment anxiety. For very long pieces the label can deter; the fix is restructuring or splitting the content, not hiding the time.
Ready to try it?
Use the free Reading Time Calculator — no sign-up, no cost.
Open Reading Time Calculator