Description
Readlyte estimates how long it will take a visitor to read a post, based on its word count and a configurable words-per-minute rate, and displays it as a small badge.
Features
- Automatic display before or after post content — no template edits required.
[rdlt_reading_time]shortcode for manual placement, including[rdlt_reading_time id="123"]for another post.- A “Reading Time (Readlyte)” Gutenberg block, server-rendered so it always matches your current settings.
- An Elementor widget (when Elementor is active), with per-instance overrides for words-per-minute/text/icon and full Style tab controls (color, typography, icon gap).
- Configurable words-per-minute, display text (
{time}/{unit}placeholders), and which post types it applies to. - Word count strips HTML tags, shortcodes, and block-editor comments so the estimate reflects visible text only.
- Theme-friendly: styled entirely with CSS classes and custom properties (
--rdlt-color,--rdlt-icon-color,--rdlt-font-size,--rdlt-gap), so a theme can restyle the badge from its own stylesheet. - Developer filters:
rdlt_word_count,rdlt_calculated_read_time,rdlt_read_time_text,rdlt_read_time_icon.
Screenshots
Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
- Reading Time (Readlyte) Displays the estimated reading time for this post.
Installation
- Upload the
readlyte-reading-timefolder to/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Go to Settings Readlyte to configure words-per-minute, display text, position, and enabled post types.
FAQ
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Can I place the read time somewhere specific in my template?
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Yes. Set “Display mode” to “Shortcode / block only” in Settings Readlyte, then use the
[rdlt_reading_time]shortcode or the “Reading Time (Readlyte)” block wherever you like, or callRDLT_Display::instance()->render_badge( $post_id )directly in a theme template. -
Does it work with Gutenberg and the Classic Editor?
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Yes. The shortcode works with both. The block requires the block editor (Gutenberg / WordPress 5.8+).
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How is word count calculated?
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HTML tags, shortcodes, and block-editor comments are stripped before counting whitespace-separated words in the visible text.
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Can I change the icon shown next to the read time?
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Yes, with the
rdlt_read_time_iconfilter. Return your own HTML (inline SVG, a<i>icon-font tag, or an<img>), or return an empty string to remove the icon entirely.// Swap in a Font Awesome icon. add_filter( 'rdlt_read_time_icon', function( $icon, $post_id ) { return '<i class="fa-regular fa-clock" aria-hidden="true"></i>'; }, 10, 2 ); // Remove the icon. add_filter( 'rdlt_read_time_icon', '__return_empty_string' );The icon is sanitized with
wp_kses(svg/path/circle/i/span/img only), so only presentational markup gets through.
Reviews
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Contributors & Developers
“Readlyte – Reading Time” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
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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 as Readlyte (previously submitted under the name “Read Time Calculator”; renamed at the request of the WordPress.org Plugin Review Team for name distinctiveness — all identifiers, the shortcode tag, CSS classes, and the option name were updated accordingly).
- Automatic display,
[rdlt_reading_time]shortcode, Gutenberg block, and Elementor widget. - Developer filters:
rdlt_word_count,rdlt_calculated_read_time,rdlt_read_time_text,rdlt_read_time_icon.