Check Whether a Text Slide Stays Up for Your Chosen Reading Pace — Free
A dense slide can disappear before a viewer finishes reading it. Convert the visible word count to seconds at a reading pace you chose and compare that with the display time.
The proof surface
Captioner-speed tools compare speech with live caption capacity. This meter checks a static slide’s dwell time; viewers can reread only if the presenter leaves it visible or supplies another format.
Why the flat version breaks
Counting speaker notes as visible words
Only count the content the viewer must read on the displayed slide.
Assuming one pace fits everyone
A self-selected rate cannot represent every viewer or language.
Using longer dwell as the only access measure
A slide may still need a plain-language, accessible-file or spoken explanation.
How to work the slide dwell-time meter
Count visible words on the slide, including labels that carry meaning. Do not omit a chart label simply because it is small.
Use an audience-informed pace in words per minute. The sample 120 WPM is illustrative, not a universal reading-speed claim.
Reading time = words ÷ WPM × 60. Dwell slack = display seconds minus estimated reading time.
The calculation ignores unfamiliar terms, chart interpretation, language access, cognitive load, transitions and audience choice. Leave extra time and invite feedback.
What the slide dwell-time meter replaces
| Question | Before | Visible working |
|---|---|---|
| Counting speaker notes as visible words | Only count the content the viewer must read on the displayed slide. | Select a review pace |
| Assuming one pace fits everyone | A self-selected rate cannot represent every viewer or language. | Convert reading time to seconds |
| Using longer dwell as the only access measure | A slide may still need a plain-language, accessible-file or spoken explanation. | Retest in the actual presentation |
A local arithmetic aid replaces hand calculation, not expert review. No paid AI service is needed.
Run it on the samples, right here
FIRST-LOAD
Input is processed locally and a draft is saved automatically in this browser profile when storage is available. Reset to sample clears that draft; Pro history has its own clear button. A state link encodes your inputs in its URL: share only non-sensitive rows. Browser history, clipboard and anyone receiving the link may retain it. Optional AI use below leaves this device; it is not required.
Reading-time arithmetic only, not an accessibility standard, accommodation decision or comprehension test. Ask the audience, follow accommodation requests and provide accessible slides and alternate ways to review the information. It does not measure whether viewers actually understand a slide.
Data note: Everything runs in this browser tab on the slide dwell-time meter: your slide | words on screen | display seconds stays on this device, nothing is uploaded, and the reading is rebuilt only when you press run.
Go deeper: the companion app files the same reading as a meter band gauge
The article demo above runs without limits. The companion app keeps a local history, exports the rows as CSV, prints the slide dwell-time meter reading, and holds your drafts on this device — one free run, then $ 4 one-time for the layer that keeps filing.
The slide dwell-time meter reading is complete for free. The optional $4 layer adds print, row CSV and the last five local reading summaries; it does not add hidden answers. Checkout is not configured yet; the article demo remains unlimited.
Open the check whether a text slide stays up for your chosen reading pace companionBoundary
Reading-time arithmetic only, not an accessibility standard, accommodation decision or comprehension test. Ask the audience, follow accommodation requests and provide accessible slides and alternate ways to review the information. It does not measure whether viewers actually understand a slide.
What this is built on
- Method: the equation is stated next to the result and uses only quantities entered by the reader.
- All sample records are invented examples. No standard, tariff, product rate, schedule or policy is fetched or represented as verified.
- For any threshold or rule, use the current value from the provider, handbook or qualified professional responsible for it.
Before: Only count the content the viewer must read on the displayed slide. After: the slide dwell-time meter shows the working beside each named row so the reader can change the assumption and inspect the consequence.
Optional AI formatting, not calculation
For this slide dwell-time meter, an external AI text tool may help format non-sensitive notes if you already use one. No AI service or account is required: manual entry completes the same free core calculation. Do not paste private or sensitive data. Review every value against the source before using it.
Format my non-sensitive notes for a slide dwell-time meter. Return plain rows only: slide | words on screen | display seconds. Preserve supplied quantities exactly. Do not guess missing values; list questions separately. Do not calculate or add advice. I will check every row before pasting into the local tool.
Accepted schema: slide | words on screen | display seconds. No AI response is executed as code.
Walk three labelled examples
First reading. The invented sample Dense slide | 48 | 18 uses reading pace in words per minute = 120. The displayed shortest dwell-time slack is -6.00000 seconds of dwell slack. Follow the row note back to the measurements and conversion rather than treating the headline number as a recommendation. The sample is deliberately concrete so the reader can reproduce the arithmetic by hand.
Changed assumption. The alternate input Short slide | 20 | 18 produces 8.00000 seconds of dwell slack for the displayed summary. Compare it with the first reading to see which entered quantity moves the result. In a real plan, change only the assumption that has a traceable source; do not tune a value just to make a row pass.
Boundary case. With Exact dwell | 36 | 18 and the same setting, the worked result is 0.00000 seconds of dwell slack. This case shows how the arithmetic behaves at a useful edge, not that the underlying process has been measured or verified. Check the boundary statement beside the result and confirm any consequential input with the responsible person before acting.