About WordCadence
WordCadence is a small collection of free tools for people who work with words: writers, students, presenters, editors and content creators. Each tool answers one simple, common question — how long will this take to read, how many words is this, how many pages will it fill, how long will it take to say aloud — without ads shoved into the answer or an account wall in the way.
The tools
- Reading time calculator — paste text or enter a word count and get an estimated silent-reading time, adjustable for slow, average or fast readers.
- Word counter — live word, character, sentence and paragraph counts as you type, plus an estimated reading time.
- Words to pages — convert a word count into an approximate page count for common fonts, sizes and line spacing.
- Speech timer — estimate how long a script will take to deliver at a slow, conversational or brisk speaking pace.
How the numbers are calculated
Every result is based on published, widely used reading and speaking rates, and we show the assumptions so you can check or adjust them. Silent reading for adults averages roughly 200–250 words per minute; comfortable public speaking runs about 130–150 words per minute; and page counts depend on font, size and spacing (for example, around 500 words on a double-spaced page in 12 pt Times New Roman). These are averages — your own pace shifts with the difficulty of the material, how familiar it is, and whether you're skimming or studying — which is exactly why each tool lets you pick a speed instead of pretending one number fits everyone.
If you want the reasoning in more depth, our guides go further: average reading speed by age, average speaking rate, how many pages is 2,000 words, and how to read faster.
Our principles
- Private by design. Every calculation runs in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, stored, or sent to a server.
- Fast and free. No signup, no paywall, and no clutter wrapped around the tool itself.
- Honest math. We show the assumptions (words per minute, words per page) so every result is reproducible — no black boxes.
Who's behind it
WordCadence is built and maintained by Scott, a writer and software developer. It began as a personal fix — most online word and reading calculators bury a one-line answer under banner ads and email-capture pop-ups — and grew into a small, deliberately simple hub. Have a correction, a tool idea, or a question about how a number is derived? The contact page reaches us directly.
How we keep it free
The tools are free and will stay that way. A few of our guides link out to writing and reading products we genuinely rate; some of those may become affiliate links in the future, and we plan to run light, unobtrusive advertising on the articles — never inside the tools themselves. That is what keeps the calculators free, private, and free of signup walls.