How do you calculate reading time?
David Mack
Published May 21, 2026
- Find your total word count. Let's say it's 938 words.
- Divide your total word count by 200. You'll get a decimal number, in this case, 4.69.
- The first part of your decimal number is your minute.
- Take the second part — the decimal points — and multiply that by 0.60.
Similarly, you may ask, how long is a 5 minute read?
Although pacing varies, a 5-minute speech is roughly 750 words. Publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant says that the average person speaks about 125-150 words per minute—meaning 5 minutes of talking would entail about 625-750 words. That's about the typical length of a blog article!
Furthermore, how long is a 3 minute read? The overview below provides an indication of the minutes for a speech (based on an average reading speed of 130 words per minute): Words in a 1 minute speech 130 words. Words in a 2 minute speech 260 words. Words in a 3 minute speech 390words.
Besides, how many words is a 2 minute read?
The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It's always better to speak more slowly than quickly. Thus, if you're speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of about 2,500 words.
How does medium calculate reading time?
Read time. At the top of each Medium story, you'll see an estimated read time. Read time is based on the average reading speed of an adult (roughly 265 WPM). We take the total word count of a post and translate it into minutes, with an adjustment made for images.