Reading Time Calculator
How long a book or text takes at your reading speed, how many days at your minutes a day, the finish date, and how long a speech runs.
Result…
How it's calculated
Words = pages × words per page Reading time (min) = words ÷ reading speed (words/min) Days = reading time ÷ minutes a day, rounded up · Speaking time = words ÷ speaking rate
Reading time is the number of words divided by how many words you read a minute. Speeds vary widely between people and between texts, so the defaults are only examples: time yourself on a few pages of the actual book for a figure that fits you. If you only know the page count, multiply by the words on a typical page, which depends on the page size, the font and the layout. Divide the minutes by the time you read each day, rounded up to a whole day, to see how many days it takes and the date you finish, counting the start date as day 1. For a speech or presentation, choose "Give a speech" and enter your speaking rate. To count days between other dates, use the date calculator.
Your numbers, step by step
About the Reading Time calculator
This reading time calculator tells you how long a book, article or report will take to read at your own speed, how many days it takes at the minutes you read each day, and the date you will finish. Enter the length in words, or in pages with the words on a typical page, then your reading speed in words a minute. The default speeds are only examples, since people read at very different rates; timing yourself on the actual book gives a far better answer. It suits readers planning a book club deadline, students with a reading list and writers checking how long a post takes to read. Switch to “Give a speech” to see how long a talk will run at your speaking rate. The steps show the division and the rounding to whole days. To count days between any two dates, use the date calculator.
How to use it
- Choose “Read” or “Give a speech” under “Time to”.
- For reading, pick “Words” or “Pages” under “Length in” and enter the “Number of words”, or the “Number of pages” and “Words per page”.
- Enter “Your reading speed” in words a minute: time yourself for 5 minutes and divide the words by 5.
- Enter the “Minutes of reading a day” and a “Start date” to see the days to finish and the finish date.
- For a speech, enter the “Number of words” and your “Speaking rate”.
Worked example
A 320-page book with about 250 words a page has 320 × 250 = 80,000 words. At 230 words a minute that is 80,000 ÷ 230 = 347.8 minutes, or 5 h 48 min. Reading 20 minutes a day, 347.8 ÷ 20 = 17.4, rounded up to 18 days, so starting on 1 November 2026 you finish on 18 November 2026, at about 18.4 pages a day. A 2000-word speech at 130 words a minute runs 2000 ÷ 130 = 15.4 minutes, or 15 min 23 s.
Updated
Questions people ask
How do I calculate how long it takes to read a book?
Divide the number of words by your reading speed in words a minute. 80,000 words at 230 words a minute is about 348 minutes, a little under 6 hours.
How do I find my reading speed?
Read a normal page of the book for 5 minutes, count roughly how many words you covered and divide by 5. Use that figure instead of the default, which is only an example.
How many words are on a page?
It depends on the page size, the font and the layout, so there is no standard figure. Count the words on a few full lines, find the average, and multiply by the number of lines on a page.
How long is a 2000-word speech?
At 130 words a minute it is about 15 minutes 23 seconds. Time yourself reading a page aloud for your own rate, and leave extra time for pauses and questions.
How is the finish date worked out?
The total minutes are divided by your minutes a day and rounded up to a whole day. The start date counts as day 1, so a 10-day read starting on 1 November ends on 10 November.