Description
MinuteRead adds an estimated reading time label to your WordPress posts — helping readers decide whether to dive in or save it for later.
After activating the plugin, reading time appears automatically before every post. Everything is configurable from Settings > MinuteRead.
Features:
- Automatically displays reading time on all single posts
- Choose to show reading time before or after the content
- Configurable words-per-minute reading speed (default: 200, range: 50–1000)
- Custom label text — change “Estimated Reading Time” to anything you like
- Custom time format — use “%d min”, “%d minutes”, or any text with %d as placeholder
- Enable / disable without deactivating the plugin
[minuteread_time]shortcode — place reading time anywhere- Works with non-Latin scripts (Bengali, Arabic, CJK, etc.)
- Lightweight: no jQuery, no external requests
- Developer-friendly:
minuteread_reading_time_output,minuteread_word_count,minuteread_output_htmlfilters - Translation-ready
Shortcode usage:
Place [minuteread_time] in any post, page, or widget to display the reading time for the current post.
Why Use This Plugin?
- Improve user engagement
- Reduce bounce rate
- Help readers estimate time commitment
Screenshots
Installation
- Upload the
minutereadfolder to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
- Visit Settings > MinuteRead to configure the plugin
FAQ
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Does it work with all themes?
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Yes. The reading time is injected via the standard
the_contentfilter, which is supported by every properly coded WordPress theme. -
Can I change the words-per-minute speed?
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Yes. Go to Settings > MinuteRead and update the “Words per minute” field. The default is 200 (average adult reading speed). Accepted range: 50–1000.
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Can I change the label text?
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Yes. Use the Label field in Settings to replace “Estimated Reading Time” with any text you prefer — including text in your own language.
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Can I change how the time is displayed?
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Yes. Use the Time Format field. The placeholder
%dwill be replaced with the number of minutes. Examples:%d min,%d minutes,%d dakika. -
Can I show the reading time only in specific locations?
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Disable the automatic insertion by unchecking Enable Plugin in settings, then use the
[minuteread_time]shortcode to place it exactly where you want. -
Does it work with Bengali, Arabic, or other non-Latin scripts?
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Yes. The plugin first tries the standard Latin word counter, then falls back to a whitespace-based counter that works for any language.
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Does it work with custom post types?
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Currently the automatic insertion works for posts only. Custom post type support is planned for a future update.
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Is it translation-ready?
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Yes. WordPress automatically loads translations for plugins hosted on WordPress.org.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“MinuteRead — Reading Time for Posts” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate “MinuteRead — Reading Time for Posts” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Automatic reading time display on single posts
- Before / after content position option
- Configurable words-per-minute setting (50–1000)
- Custom label and time format
- Enable / disable toggle
- Non-Latin language support (Bengali, Arabic, CJK)
- [minuteread_time] shortcode support
- Developer filters: minuteread_reading_time_output, minuteread_word_count, minuteread_output_html
- Translation-ready


