Showing the reading time at the beginning of an article is common practice on Medium, Substack, and corporate blogs. Readers can immediately see how long the article will take and plan their reading accordingly. This article explains how to calculate reading time, which speeds to use for Russian and English text, how reading time affects UX and engagement, and which tools to use.
For a quick estimate, use the reChecker reading time calculator.
Why show reading time
Transparency and expectations
Readers see “8 min” and know how much material to expect before they start reading. This reduces anxiety (“How much is left?”) and makes them more likely to finish the article. Without a reading time estimate, users may leave the page without having assessed the value of the content.
Behavioral metrics
Time on page and the percentage of an article read affect rankings. If readers know an article will take 5 minutes, they are more likely to stay and read to the end. Search engines consider these metrics indirect quality signals.
UX and accessibility
For people with limited time (for example, during a lunch break), a reading time estimate helps them choose suitable content. This is an element of inclusive design.
Average reading speed
Reading speed depends on the language, text complexity, and the reader’s skills. Research provides approximate values.
Russian
| Reading type | Words per minute |
|---|---|
| Slow (technical text) | 120–150 |
| Average (regular article) | 180–220 |
| Fast (light content) | 250–300 |
For calculating the reading time of blogs and articles, 200 words per minute is usually used. This is an average for an adult reader at a comfortable pace.
English
| Reading type | Words per minute |
|---|---|
| Slow | 150–200 |
| Average | 200–250 |
| Fast | 300–400 |
For English text, 250 words per minute is often used. English words are shorter on average than Russian words, so the actual reading time is comparable at the same “words per minute” rate.
Comparing languages
Russian words are longer on average (they have more morphemes and case endings). With the same number of words, Russian text may contain more characters. However, reading time is calculated using words, not characters, because this reflects how people process text.
Calculation formula
Basic formula:
Время (минуты) = Количество слов / Скорость (слов/мин)Example: 1200 words at a speed of 200 words/min → 1200 / 200 = 6 minutes.
To display the result as “X min Y sec”:
const words = 1200;
const speed = 200;
const totalSeconds = Math.ceil((words / speed) * 60);
const minutes = Math.floor(totalSeconds / 60);
const seconds = totalSeconds % 60;
// "6 мин 0 сек"Accounting for text complexity
Technical articles, academic texts, and materials with formulas take longer to read. You can apply a complexity factor:
- Regular blog: 1.0
- Technical guide: 1.2–1.3
- Academic article: 1.3–1.5
Alternatively, set the speed manually: 150 words/min for complex content and 250 for light content.
Effect on UX and engagement
Reading progress bar
Many websites show a progress indicator (“40% read”), which works alongside the reading time estimate. Knowing the total reading time helps readers see how much is left.
A/B testing
Research shows that displaying reading time increases time on page and reduces the bounce rate. It is worth testing different formats: “8 min,” “~8 min,” “8 min read.”
Placement
Reading time is usually placed next to the publication date and author’s name, in the article header before the first paragraph.
Optimal length by platform
Different formats call for different lengths and, consequently, different reading times.
| Platform | Recommended length | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Twitter/X | 280 characters (1 tweets) | ~15 sec |
| LinkedIn post | 300–600 words | 1.5–3 min |
| Medium (short post) | 400–800 words | 2–4 min |
| Blog (standard article) | 1000–1500 words | 5–8 min |
| Longread | 2000–5000 words | 10–25 min |
| Comprehensive guide | 3000–6000 words | 15–30 min |
Short posts take seconds to read. The average Twitter “scrolling” speed is about 275 words per minute, assuming the user reads the text rather than just scrolling past it.
Medium and blogs
The optimal length for a blog article is 1000–2000 words (5–10 minutes of reading). This balances in-depth coverage of a topic with keeping readers’ attention.
Longread
Long articles (10+ minutes) need a strong headline and a structure with subheadings. Readers should understand what value they will get for the time they spend.
Tools for calculating reading time
Online calculators
The reChecker reading time calculator is a free tool that:
- Counts words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs
- Detects the text language (Russian/English) and applies the standard reading speed
- Lets you adjust the reading speed (100–400 words/min)
- Shows estimates for different platforms: Twitter, blogs, and longreads
- Displays average word and sentence length
Paste text or copy a passage from an article to see the result instantly.
CMS integration
You can use plugins to calculate reading time automatically when publishing:
- WordPress: Reading Time WP, WPMU Dev
- Ghost: built-in
reading_timefunction - Custom: a formula based on the number of words in the content
Programmatic calculation
function getReadingTime(text, wordsPerMinute = 200) {
const words = text.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean).length;
const minutes = Math.ceil(words / wordsPerMinute);
return minutes;
}Words vs. characters
Some calculators count by characters (for example, 1000 characters per minute). For articles and blogs, calculating by words is more accurate: a word is a natural unit of perception. The average Russian word is 5–6 characters long; in English, 4–5. When calculating by characters, long words (technical terms) make the estimated reading time too short, while short words (pronouns and prepositions) make it too long.
Detecting the language
For multilingual blogs, it is important to detect the text language automatically. One simple heuristic is to count Cyrillic and Latin characters: if there are as many or more Cyrillic characters, treat the text as Russian (200 words/min); otherwise, treat it as English (250 words/min). The reChecker calculator uses this approach and switches the default speed when text is pasted.
reChecker calculator: features
The reChecker reading time service is suitable for:
- Editors and copywriters — checking length before publication
- Content managers — planning article length for different platforms
- Developers — testing formulas and integrating them into their own projects
The tool automatically detects the language (Cyrillic vs. Latin) and applies 200 words/min for Russian or 250 for English. A slider lets you adjust the speed for your target audience.
The results include more than just reading time. They also show statistics on the number of words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, and paragraphs. This is useful for SEO and content quality checks.
Platform estimates
The tool gives approximate reading times for different formats:
- Twitter — calculated at ~275 words/min (accounts for fast scrolling)
- Blog — the standard 200 words/min for Russian
- Longread — the same calculation, applied to long articles
Use these estimates when planning content for specific distribution channels.
Practical recommendations
- Always show the reading time — for articles of 500 words or more
- Round the estimate — “8 min” is better than “7 min 23 sec”; for short texts, use “1 min” or “< 1 min”
- Account for the language — use different speeds for multilingual blogs
- Test different formats — check how changing the format (“8 min” vs. “~8 min read”) affects metrics
- Don’t overestimate — readers notice discrepancies, so it is better to slightly underestimate
Display format
Common formats include “8 min,” “8 min read,” “8 min,” and “8 minutes of reading.” For an international audience, use “8 min read” (English). Short formats (“8 min”) save space in previews and headlines. Adding “” (a tilde) emphasizes that the estimate is approximate.
Connection to SEO
Reading time indirectly affects rankings through behavioral metrics. Google and other search engines consider:
- Time on page — if readers spend more time on a page, the content is considered relevant
- Scroll depth — reading to the end signals quality
- Bounce rate — leaving quickly increases the bounce rate
Showing reading time helps users decide to stay and read to the end. Articles that explicitly show “X min” often have better engagement metrics than the same articles without this information. For content strategy, it is useful to track the correlation between showing reading time and behavioral metrics in analytics.
FAQ
How many words per minute does the average person read?
In Russian, about 180–220 words per minute at a comfortable pace. For calculating article reading time, 200 words/min is usually used. In English, the rate is 200–250 words/min.
How does reading speed differ between Russian and English?
English words are shorter on average, so a text with the same number of words is read faster in English. For calculations, use 200 words/min for Russian and 250 words/min for English.
Should images and code be included when calculating reading time?
Images, diagrams, and code blocks slow down reading. If an article contains a lot of visual content, you can add 10–20% to the estimated time or use a slower speed (for example, 150–170 words/min).
How do you calculate the reading time of a technical article?
Technical text takes longer to read. Use a speed of 150–170 words/min instead of 200, or apply a factor of 1.2–1.3 to the standard calculation.
Which tool should I use to calculate reading time?
The reChecker reading time calculator is a free online tool with language detection, adjustable reading speed, and statistics on words, characters, and sentences. It is suitable for one-off checks and for integrating into editors’ workflows. To check text length, also use the reChecker word counter.