Reading Time Calculator API Reference

Overview

Reading Time Calculator works by counting words in the text and dividing by the reading speed (words per minute). Default speed is 250 WPM, customizable from 50-1000 WPM. Maximum text length is 500KB.

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

POSThttps://api.apiverve.com/v1/readingtime

curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/readingtime \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "text": "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.",
  "wpm": 250
}'

const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/readingtime', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "text": "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.",
  "wpm": 250
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/readingtime",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "text": "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.",
    "wpm": 250
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "text": "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.",
  "wpm": 250
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/readingtime", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Parameter	Type	Description
`text`Required	string	The text to calculate reading time for length 0–500000
`wpm`Optional	integer	Words per minute reading speed default 250 · range 50–1000

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text_length": 257,
    "word_count": 41,
    "reading_time_minutes": 1,
    "reading_time_seconds": 10,
    "reading_time_text": "1 min read",
    "words_per_minute": 250
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`text_length`	number	`257`
`word_count`	number	`41`	Total number of words in the text
`reading_time_minutes`	number	`1`	Estimated reading time in minutes
`reading_time_seconds`	number	`10`	Estimated reading time in seconds
`reading_time_text`	string	`"1 min read"`
`words_per_minute`	number	`250`	Words per minute used for calculation

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted	A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart; see rate limits.

Use cases

Blog Publishing: Add reading time estimates to blog posts to help readers decide whether to read now or save for later
Content Management: Display reading time on articles and documentation to improve user experience and engagement
Email Campaigns: Calculate reading time for email newsletters to optimize content length and subject lines
Educational Content: Estimate time required for students to read course materials for better scheduling and planning

Reading Time Calculator