Reading & typing time
Estimate reading, speaking and typing time from length.
| Characters (with spaces) | 0 |
|---|---|
| Characters (no spaces) | 0 |
| Words | 0 |
| Manuscript pages (200 chars) | 0 |
| Reading time (silent) | 0s |
| Reading aloud | 0s |
| Typing time | 0s |
Estimates based on ~600 chars/min silent reading, ~300 chars/min aloud, ~200 chars/min typing (Korean averages).
You have a script for a three-minute talk and no real idea whether it runs three minutes. Or a draft, and a reader who wants to know what they are committing to before they start.
Paste the text and the counts and time estimates appear side by side, with the rates the estimates rest on stated on the page.
How it works
What it counts
| Field | How it is derived |
|---|---|
| Characters (with spaces) | Every character, spaces and line breaks included |
| Characters (no spaces) | The same count with whitespace stripped out |
| Words | Split on runs of whitespace |
| Manuscript pages (200 chars) | Characters with spaces divided by 200, rounded up |
How the times are estimated
All three estimates divide the with-spaces character count by a rate per minute:
- Silent reading — about 600 characters per minute
- Reading aloud — about 300 characters per minute
- Typing — about 200 characters per minute
Everything updates as you type; there is nothing to submit.
Reading the numbers with care
These are character-based averages calibrated on Korean text, where one character carries roughly one syllable. English packs fewer syllables into the same number of characters, so an English passage will normally be read faster than the figure shown — treat the output as a relative gauge rather than a stopwatch. Spoken timing also depends on pauses, slides, and delivery, so leave slack when it matters.
Terms explained
- Characters with spaces
- Every character in the box, spaces and line breaks included. All three time estimates are based on this figure.
- Characters without spaces
- The same count with whitespace removed, which is what many submission forms and word limits ask for.
- Manuscript page (원고지)
- A Korean writing convention of 200 characters per page, still used for length limits in contests and coursework.
- Characters per minute
- The pace assumption behind each estimate: 600 silent, 300 aloud, 200 typed.
- Silent reading
- Reading without vocalizing. It is the fastest of the three modes and the usual case for on-screen text.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the 600, 300 and 200 rates come from?
They are commonly cited average paces for Korean text, in characters per minute: roughly 600 read silently, 300 read aloud, and 200 typed. The page states them openly so you can adjust mentally, since a fast typist or a practiced speaker will beat them comfortably.
Are the estimates accurate for English text?
Only loosely. The rates count characters, and Korean carries more meaning per character than English does, so an English passage is usually read faster than the number shown. It works better for comparing two drafts than for timing a broadcast.
How is a manuscript page calculated?
Characters including spaces, divided by 200 and rounded up. The 200-character page is a Korean writing convention that still turns up in contest rules and assignment limits.
How are words counted?
The text is split on runs of whitespace, so anything separated by a space or line break counts as one word. A hyphenated compound counts as one, and punctuation attached to a word does not split it.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Counting and estimating happen in your browser as you type, and nothing is sent to a server.
Tell us what went wrong and we'll fix it fast. (Leave an email if you'd like a reply.)