The time it takes for the average person to read an article can vary depending on factors such as reading speed and the length of the text. To help readers estimate the time commitment before diving into an article, Medium has developed a formula that calculates the read time based on word count. This read time calculation is based on an average adult’s reading speed of approximately 265 words per minute.
According to Medium’s Help Center, the algorithm takes into account the total word count of the article and converts it into minutes. For posts that include images, an adjustment is made to account for the time spent viewing the visuals. It’s worth noting that this formula is tailored specifically for English language articles. For posts in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the calculation is based on the number of characters, with a speed of 500 characters per minute, also adjusted for images.
To illustrate the read time calculation algorithm, let’s consider an example. If you’re thinking of contributing a pull request, it is recommended to check that the tests pass. This phrase consists of seven words, so it would take approximately two seconds to read for someone with an average reading speed. As the word count increases, so does the estimated read time.
