Reading sessions
8 sessions
7 full sessions plus a final 5-minute session.
Free browser tool
Reading Time Calculator
How long does it take to read your manuscript?
Estimate reading time for novels, screenplays, and TV scripts. Enter a word count or paste text—the calculation happens privately in your browser.
Estimated reading time
5 hours 20 minutes
80,000 words · Novel or prose · 250 words per minute
Per session
Up to 11,250 words
About 40.9 estimated pages in each 45-minute session.
Estimated length
291 pages
Rough conversion at 275 words per page.
Reading schedule
8 reading days
One session daily, or about 2 weeks at five sessions per week.
These are planning estimates. Page density, dialogue, formatting, performance, reading purpose, and breaks can all change real reading or screen time. For scripts, an actual formatted page count is more reliable than a word-count conversion.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average adult reading speed?
About 250 words per minute is a useful average for everyday prose. Dense, technical, or highly literary material may be read more slowly.
How many reading sessions will my manuscript take?
Choose an average session length from 15 minutes to two hours. The calculator divides the total reading estimate into full sessions and shows the expected length of the final session.
How long is a typical novel?
Many adult novels fall near 80,000 to 100,000 words, although expectations vary considerably by genre and audience.
Is script reading time the same as screen runtime?
No. Reading time uses your selected words-per-minute pace. Screen runtime uses the common planning guideline of roughly one screen minute per properly formatted script page.
Can I use this for a movie or TV episode?
Yes. Choose a movie screenplay, half-hour TV script, or one-hour TV script. If you know the formatted page count, enter it for a more useful runtime comparison.
Can I share my result?
Yes. Your calculated word count and planning settings are kept in the page URL. Pasted manuscript text itself is never placed in the URL or uploaded.