Title: Stuff & Things Reading Estimate
Author: stuffandthingsforyou
Published: October 13, 2026
Last modified: October 13, 2026
---
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# Stuff & Things Reading Estimate
By [stuffandthingsforyou](https://profiles.wordpress.org/stuffandthingsforyou/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate.1.0.0.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/)
## Description
Stuff & Things Reading Estimate adds a small, unobtrusive “X min read” estimate
to your posts so readers know what they’re getting into.
* Automatically shown **before** or **after** the content on single posts — your
choice.
* Or turn automatic display off and place it exactly where you want with the **`[
reading_time]`** shortcode.
* Set your own **reading speed** (words per minute) and **label** (e.g. `%s min
read`, `About %s minutes`).
That’s the whole plugin. No accounts, no upsells, no external services, nothing
phoned home. The estimate is calculated on your server from the post’s word count.
#### How the estimate works
Word count = the post content with HTML and shortcodes stripped, divided by your
words-per-minute setting, rounded up (minimum 1 minute).
## Installation
1. In your WordPress admin, go to **Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin** and choose
the plugin ZIP, or copy the `stuff-and-things-reading-estimate` folder into `wp-
content/plugins/`.
2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** screen.
3. Go to **Settings > Reading Time** to set the speed, position, and label.
## FAQ
### Can I show it somewhere other than the top or bottom of a post?
Yes. Set “Show on posts” to “Don’t show automatically” and use the `[reading_time]`
shortcode wherever you like inside a post or page.
### Does it work on pages or custom post types?
Automatic display targets single blog **posts**. For pages or other content, use
the `[reading_time]` shortcode.
### Can I style it?
Yes — the estimate is wrapped in ``, so you can target `.
reading-time` in your theme’s CSS.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“Stuff & Things Reading Estimate” is open source software. The following people
have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ stuffandthingsforyou ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/stuffandthingsforyou/)
[Translate “Stuff & Things Reading Estimate” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.0**
* Last updated **3 days ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 5.6 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.1.3**
* PHP version ** 7.2 or higher **
* Tags
* [estimated reading](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/estimated-reading/)[posts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/posts/)
[read time](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/read-time/)[reading time](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/reading-time/)
[shortcode](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/shortcode/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ stuffandthingsforyou ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/stuffandthingsforyou/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/stuff-and-things-reading-estimate/)