Reading Time Estimator

Reading time estimator counts words separated by whitespace and divides by 200. 200 words stay at about 1 minute. 201 words become about 2 minutes.

The minute floor

Words are runs of non-space characters. Three words return the lines 3 words and about 1 min read at 200 words per minute. 200 copies of the word word return 200 words and about 1 minute. 201 copies return 201 words and about 2 minutes. The minute count is the word count divided by 200, rounded up, and then raised to at least 1. A single word is still about 1 minute. An empty box, or a box of only spaces, throws Input is required. The button reads Process. The result is two lines of text. There is no download. The rate is fixed at 200. There is no slider.

What 200 words a minute is not

It is not a speaking time. Speaking Time Estimator divides by 130 and keeps one decimal. This page divides by 200 and rounds up to a whole minute. It does not skip headings. It does not treat a hyphenated pair as two words unless a space sits between them. A number counts as a word. Punctuation stuck to a word stays inside that word. The estimate is not a clock. It will not match a reader who is slower or faster than 200 words a minute. Word Counter is the page that lists more than this pair of lines. The second line of this page always names 200 words per minute. It will not switch to 130.

How to check 201

Paste three short words and press Process. The first line should be 3 words. The second should say about 1 min read and mention 200 wpm. A draft of 200 words should still say 1 minute. Add one more word and expect 2 minutes. Clear the box and expect the Input is required error. If the minute count has a decimal, you are on the speaking estimate instead. 200 words stay at 1 minute. One more word steps the minute line to 2. A single word is still 1 minute because of the floor. Spaces are the only split. A comma stuck to a word does not start a new word. The first line is the word count. The second line is the minute estimate.

The draft stays in the tab

The count runs in this browser. The draft is not uploaded. Paste a note, press Process, and read the two lines. Closing the tab drops the draft. There is no history of earlier counts. Three words still say about 1 minute, because the result cannot fall below 1. A hyphenated pair with no space is one word. A number is a word. The second line always names 200 wpm. If you see 130 wpm, that result came from the speaking estimate. This page rounds up to a whole minute and then applies the floor of 1. A draft of 400 words is about 2 minutes, because 400 divided by 200 is 2.