fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.")
What this pulls
Estimate reading time by the row. =VERVE("readingtime", A2) returns minutes to read each cell down a column — Google Sheets or Excel.
It's one of 250+ live sources you reach with a single =VERVE() function — served from APIVerve's production data engine, billed at 1 credit per resolved cell, and refreshed on whatever cadence you set. No API keys to wrangle, no scripts, no exports.
See it in a cell
A real example — the input you type, and the values you can pull from it. Click any cell to see the formula behind it.
readingtime.xlsxsample data
B2fx=VERVE("readingtime", A2, "text_length")
A
B
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1
Text
Text length
Word count
Reading time minutes
Reading time seconds
2
This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.
257
41
1
10
3
4
click any cell to see its formula1 credit / cell
Ways to use it
Clean a column of text
Fill =VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count.") beside messy text and get the normalized, analyzed, or translated version back — data cleaning without leaving the grid.
Analyze at scale
Score or classify a whole column of responses, reviews, or messages in one fill instead of one-by-one.
Compose with other formulas
Nest Calculate Reading Time's output inside your existing SUM, IF, or CONCAT logic like any other cell value.
Use it in your sheet
The same function works in both apps — install once, sign in with your key, and type it into any cell.
Google SheetsAdd-on
Install from the Workspace Marketplace, then drop the formula into a cell. Autocomplete suggests the source and its fields.
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.")
Microsoft ExcelAdd-in
Same source, same arguments, same key — in Excel on desktop, the web, or mobile. Excel namespaces it as VERVE.CALL. Drag to fill a whole column.
fx=VERVE.CALL("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.")
Optional inputs
Tune the result by adding name=value before the field argument — in any order. Leave one out and its default applies.
wpm
Words per minute reading speed
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.", "wpm", "250")
Fields you can pull
Add a field name as the last argument to land just that value in the cell.
Data.word Count
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.", "field", "data.wordCount")
Data.reading Time Minutes
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.", "field", "data.readingTimeMinutes")
Data.reading Time Seconds
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.", "field", "data.readingTimeSeconds")
Data.wpm
fx=VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count. The average reading speed is 250 words per minute, which can be customized. This helps content creators provide accurate time estimates to their readers.", "field", "data.wpm")
Calculate Reading Time, answered
Everything you need to wire it into a sheet.
How do I pull Calculate Reading Time into a spreadsheet?
Install the VerveSheets add-on, sign in with your key, and type =VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count.") into any cell. The same function works in Google Sheets and Excel — no scripts, no API wiring.
How many credits does each Calculate Reading Time cell cost?
Each resolved cell costs 1 credit. Filling a column of ten rows costs ten times that; a cell only re-bills when it actually refreshes, so a static sheet doesn't keep charging.
Can I fill a whole column at once?
Yes. Reference a range instead of a single cell — e.g. point Calculate Reading Time at A2:A50 — and it returns a value for every row in one call, or just drag =VERVE("readingtime", "This is a sample article with multiple paragraphs. Reading time will be calculated based on word count.") down like any spreadsheet function.
Does Calculate Reading Time work in Excel as well as Google Sheets?
Yes. It's the same =VERVE() function with the same arguments and the same key in both — build a sheet in one and it behaves identically in the other.
How current is the data?
Calculate Reading Time is served live from APIVerve's production data engine, and cells recalculate on the refresh cadence you choose — every open, hourly, or every 30 minutes.
Where does the data come from, and what shows on my bill?
VerveSheets runs on APIVerve, our production data engine; Calculate Reading Time is one of 300+ sources on the same key. Invoices and card statements show APIVERVE.
Google Sheets
Microsoft Excel
