Readme Documentation

✨ Features

Word Count - Accurate word counting for any text
Reading Time - Estimates based on adjustable speed (100–600 WPM)
Speaking Time - Estimates based on 140 words/minute
Character Count - Total characters including spaces
Sentences & Paragraphs - Structural counts for your content
Grade Level - Flesch-Kincaid reading difficulty score
Word Frequency - Top words ranked by usage (appears at 15+ words)
Social Media Counters - Character limits for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
Word Target - Set a target word count with presets (Tweet Thread, Blog Post, Essay, Article, Long Form)
File Drop - Drag & drop .txt, .md, .csv, or .json files
Copy Stats - One-click copy of all stats to clipboard
Copy Text - Copy your content back to clipboard after editing
Export Stats - Download stats as Markdown table or JSON file
Average Sentence Length - Spot density issues at a glance
Session History - Reload your last 5 analyses from local storage
Theme Switcher - Dark, light, amber, Nord, and green themes
Easter Eggs - Hidden commands and surprises 🎮
Terminal Aesthetic - Beautiful retro terminal design

🎮 Secret Commands

Clear the textarea and type any of these commands to discover hidden easter eggs:

Command	Description
`help`	Show all secret commands
`matrix`	Enter the Matrix with digital rain
`cow`	Fortune cow speaks wisdom
`cat`	ASCII cat appears
`rocket`	Launch to productivity
`dev`	Developer dashboard
`42`	The answer to everything
`clear`	Clear terminal with style
`date`	Show current date/time
`whoami`	Display user info
`uname`	System information
`sudo`	Try to escalate permissions (spoiler: it won't work)
`ping`	Ping localhost with silly latency stats
`sl`	Steam locomotive chugs across your screen
`coffee`	Check your caffeine status
`hack`	Hollywood hacker mode
`flip`	Flip (or unflip) a table
`hello`	Hello World in 10 programming languages
`nyan`	Nyan Cat flies across your screen with rainbow trail
`--upgrade`	Run a fake system update

🕹️ Hidden Easter Eggs

Konami Code - Type ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA for a colorful surprise
Click Master - Click the terminal title 10 times
42 Words - Write exactly 42 words for a special message

🛠️ Writing Tools

A suite of browser-based tools for writers and content creators. All 100% local — nothing leaves your browser.

Tool	Description
Teleprompter	Paste a script, set speaking speed, and present with auto-scroll. Mirror mode and full-screen available.
Content Comparison	Compare two pieces of text side-by-side with diff highlighting and readability scores.
Content Clock	Estimate how long content takes to read or speak at various speeds.
Filler Finder	Identify filler words and phrases in your writing. Highlights weak qualifiers and hedging language.
Sentence Pacing	Visualise sentence length distribution across your text. Spot pacing issues at a glance.
Script Formatter	Format scripts with proper dialogue indentation, scene headings, and action lines.
Mindmap	Visualise ideas with an interactive canvas. Double-click to add nodes, drag to rearrange, Tab for children.
Share Card	Generate beautiful shareable cards from your reading stats. Multiple themes, embeddable via iframe.

Every tool includes:

Copy — One-click copy of your content/output to clipboard
Export — Download your work as a .txt file
Auto-save — Your input is saved to local storage and restored when you return

📝 Blog

The ReadCalc blog covers readability, writing best practices, and content strategy. Topics include:

Reading speed research and data
Writing at the right reading level
Sentence structure and plain language
Content length guides for different platforms
Readability vs. SEO

Copy for LLMs — Every blog post has a "Copy for LLMs" button in the top-right corner. Click it to copy the full article text (title, URL, meta, and body) formatted for pasting into ChatGPT, Claude, or any LLM.

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl/Cmd + Enter - Clear textarea and reset stats
Ctrl/Cmd + S - Log stats to console
ESC - Exit Matrix mode

🎯 Usage

Paste or type your content into the textarea — or drag & drop a file
Stats update automatically as you type
Adjust reading speed with the slider (100–600 WPM)
Set a word count target and track your progress
Click the theme toggle (🌙/☀️/🔥/❄️/🌿) to switch between dark, light, amber, Nord, and green themes
Try the secret commands for fun surprises

Copy Text — Click "cp content.txt | pbcopy" to copy your current text back to the clipboard after editing or analysing.

Export Stats — Next to the Copy Stats button, click "export stats.md" to download your statistics as a Markdown table. Click again to switch to JSON format. Useful for reports, documentation, or sharing with editors.

Session History — Click "history | tail -n 5" below the stats grid to reload any of your last 5 analyses.

Average Sentence Length — Watch the Avg Sentence stat card to gauge sentence density. Aim for 15–25 words for most audiences.

⚠️ Readability Warnings

As you type, ReadCalc highlights readability issues directly in the text area:

Long Sentences — Sentences over 30 words are highlighted in amber. A badge shows the count in the top-right corner.
Long Paragraphs — Paragraphs over 150 words are highlighted in red. The textarea border also glows red.

These are real-time, privacy-safe warnings to help you write clearer, more readable content.

💾 Auto-Save Draft

Your work is automatically saved to your browser's local storage as you type. If you close the tab or refresh the page, your text will be restored when you return.

Drafts are saved 500ms after you stop typing
A "Draft restored" indicator appears briefly when your previous session is recovered
Press Ctrl/Cmd + Enter to clear the textarea and discard the draft
100% local — drafts never leave your browser

📜 Session History

ReadCalc keeps your last 5 analyses in browser local storage. Click the "history | tail -n 5" button below the stats to see your recent sessions.

Each session shows a preview of the text, word count, and time
Click any session to reload the full text and recalculate stats
Sessions are saved 10 seconds after you stop typing — no spam from every keystroke
Duplicates are automatically deduplicated
100% local — history never leaves your browser

📏 Average Sentence Length

The Avg Sentence stat card shows the average number of words per sentence. This helps you spot density issues at a glance:

Under 15 words — Easy to read, conversational
15–25 words — Standard prose, good for most audiences
Over 25 words — Dense, consider breaking into shorter sentences

Use this alongside the amber sentence highlights to identify and fix overly long sentences.

🛠️ Technical Details

Reading Speed: Adjustable 100–600 WPM (default: 225 WPM)
Speaking Speed: 140 words per minute (average speech)
Grade Level: Flesch-Kincaid formula
Privacy: 100% local processing — your text never leaves your browser
Built with: Vanilla JavaScript (no dependencies)
Hosted on: Cloudflare Pages
Analytics: Umami

📊 How It Works

ReadCalc uses simple but effective calculations:

Reading Time = Total Words ÷ 225 words/minute
Speaking Time = Total Words ÷ 140 words/minute

These are industry-standard averages used by content platforms and professional speakers.

🎨 Design Philosophy

ReadCalc embraces a retro terminal aesthetic because:

It's nostalgic and fun for developers
Minimalist design = fast performance
No distractions from your content
Easter eggs add personality and delight

🤝 Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature idea? Feel free to reach out!

Want to add your own easter egg? They're always welcome.

⭐ Google Preferred Sources

ReadCalc is available as a preferred source in Google Search. When you add us as a preferred source, our content is more likely to appear for you in "Top Stories" and Google Discover during relevant news queries.

Learn more about Google Preferred Sources →

🧰 Related Tools

Curated tools that complement ReadCalc. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements — just tools we actually use.

View all related tools →

👨‍💻 About

Created by Dean Warwick

A simple, fast, and fun tool for content creators, writers, and developers.

📖 ReadCalc Documentation