# Show Reading Time

URL: /docs/theming/recipes/reading-time/
Section: recipes
Tags: cookbook, filters, reading-time

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Show Reading Time Display estimated reading time using Bengal's reading_time filter. The Pattern 1 2 3&lt;span class=&quot;reading-time&quot;&gt; {{ page.content | reading_time }} min read &lt;/span&gt; That's it. Bengal's reading_time filter calculates based on word count (200 wpm default). What's Happening Component Purpose page.content Raw content of the page reading_time Bengal filter: counts words, divides by 200 Variations With Word Count Bengal provides a word_count filter that strips HTML and counts words: &lt;span&gt;{{ page.content | word_count }} words · {{ page.content | reading_time }} min read&lt;/span&gt; Both filters work together seamlessly since they use the same word counting logic. Custom Calculation 1 2 3 4 5{# 250 words per minute instead of 200 #} &#123;% set words = page.content | word_count %&#125; &#123;% set minutes = (words / 250) | round(0, &#39;ceil&#39;) | int %&#125; &lt;span&gt;{{ minutes }} min read&lt;/span&gt; Handle Short Content 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11&#123;% set minutes = page.content | reading_time %&#125; &lt;span class=&quot;reading-time&quot;&gt; &#123;% if minutes &lt; 1 %&#125; Quick read &#123;% elif minutes == 1 %&#125; 1 min read &#123;% else %&#125; {{ minutes }} min read &#123;% endif %&#125; &lt;/span&gt; Frontmatter Override Allow manual override for complex content: 1 2 3 4 5&#123;% if page.metadata.reading_time %&#125; &#123;% set minutes = page.metadata.reading_time %&#125; &#123;% else %&#125; &#123;% set minutes = page.content | reading_time %&#125; &#123;% endif %&#125; Then in frontmatter: 1 2 3 4--- title: Complex Technical Guide reading_time: 25 # Override calculated time --- Info Seealso Template Functions — All filters List Recent Posts — Include reading time in post lists

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Metadata:
- Author: lbliii
- Word Count: 262
- Reading Time: 1 minutes