TimeSpan
TimeSpan is a simple, easy to set-up WordPress plugin that automagically calculates the approximate length of time it will take to read a blog post.
4.8(6 reviews)
·20 active installs·Updated 10 years agoAs of April 2026, TimeSpan is a WordPress blog plugin with 20 active installations and a 4.8/5 rating from 6 reviews. It has been downloaded 3.2K+ times in total. Requires WordPress 3.0.1+ and PHP false+. Available on WordPress.org since 2014. Last updated 10 years ago — may have compatibility concerns. Top alternative: SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle.
4.8/56 reviews
20active installs
3.2K+total downloads
12 yearssince 2014
Overview
Welcome to TimeSpan
The plugin ships with default settings, but allows you to change everything from: the message shown for a post that will take less than one minute; the message shown for any post over 1 minute; and the words-per-minute used to calculate the reading time.
Setup
Once the plugin is activated, you have two options: you can include it in your theme files (handy for WordPress developers), or you can let us do all the heavy lifting with automagic setup.
Include TimeSpan in Your Theme Files
- Head over to the TimeSpan menu under Settings
- Fill out the options on that page
- Place the ‘echo do_shortcode(‘[time-span]’)’ shortcode wherever you’d like the data to show up in your theme file (e.g. page-home.php).
- Click the blue “Save Changes” button.
That’s it!
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Ratings & Reviews
4.86 reviews
5 ★
5
4 ★
1
3 ★
0
2 ★
0
1 ★
0
Compatibility
| WordPress | 3.0.1+ requiredTested up to 4.1.42 |
| PHP | false+ required |
Top Alternatives to TimeSpan
Frequently Asked Questions
Changelog
1.10
Account for posts which are greater than one minute, and less than two minutes, as per request from @florushj
Contributors
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Analysis and metrics by PluginSift.