Displays estimated article reading time using shortcode or template tag with customizable formats.
As of April 2026, Article Read Time is a WordPress shortcode plugin with 10 active installations and a 0/5 rating0. It has been downloaded 156 times in total. Requires WordPress 5.2+ and PHP 7.0+. Available on WordPress.org since 2026. Actively maintained — updated within the last month. Top alternative: WP Shortcodes Plugin — Shortcodes….
Article Read Time is a lightweight and customizable WordPress plugin that automatically calculates and displays the estimated reading time for posts and pages.
Adding reading time to your articles improves user experience, increases engagement, and helps visitors quickly decide whether they have enough time to read your content. Many modern blogs, news websites, and online magazines display reading time to enhance readability and reduce bounce rates — and now you can easily add this feature to your WordPress site.
The plugin calculates the total word count of your post content (excluding HTML and shortcodes) and estimates the reading duration based on your configured Words Per Minute (WPM) setting. You can fully control how the reading time appears using custom formatting options.
| WordPress | 5.2+ requiredTested up to 6.9.4 |
| PHP | 7.0+ required |
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Analysis and metrics by PluginSift.