Estimates the time to read a passage from its word count and a chosen reading speed in words per minute.
Published for review. The Founder is checking every card himself; anything he strikes comes down the same hour.
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Inputs
word_count (integer, words, required) min 1 : Number of words in the passage.
words_per_minute (integer, words/minute, required) min 1 : Assumed reading speed. Typical adult silent-reading rates fall roughly between 200 and 250 words per minute.
Outputs
minutes (minutes): Estimated reading time.
Steps
minutes = word_count / words_per_minute.
Round to 2 decimals.
words_per_minute is supplied as an input rather than assumed, because reading speed varies by reader and material; typical adult silent-reading rates are roughly 200 to 250 words per minute.
Constants
typical_adult_wpm_low = 200 words/minute (source: How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate)
typical_adult_wpm_high = 250 words/minute (source: How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate)
Sources
How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate (Journal of Memory and Language, 2026-09-30T20:03:00Z) - Meta-analysis reporting typical adult silent-reading rates in roughly the 200-250 words-per-minute range.