Plugin info

Total downloads: 264
Active installs: 0
Total reviews: 1
Average rating: 5
Support threads opened: 0
Support threads resolved: 0 (0%)
Available in: 2 language(s)
Contributors: 2
Last updated: 9/22/2025 (100 days ago)
Added to WordPress: 8/1/2025 (0 years old)
Minimum WordPress version: 5.0
Tested up to WordPress version: 6.8.3
Minimum PHP version: 7.2

Maintenance & Compatibility

Maintenance score

Maintained • Last updated 100 days ago • 1 reviews

52/100

Is Sam Reading Time abandoned?

Likely maintained (last update 100 days ago).

Compatibility

Requires WordPress: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.8.3
Requires PHP: 7.2

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Description

Sam Reading Time (SRT) is a lightweight and efficient plugin to show estimated reading time in WordPress posts using the [sam_reading_time] shortcode.

Includes a minimal settings page directly accessible under the “Posts” admin menu.

Features include:
[sam_reading_time] shortcode for displaying reading time
– Settings panel for WPM (words per minute) speed and output format
– Clean output: “Reading Time: 4 minutes”
– Compatible with all post types
– Easy to use and theme-friendly
– No external dependencies or JS
-SEO & Rich Snippets
-Multilingual Support

Usage

Insert the shortcode anywhere inside your post or page content:

[sam_reading_time]

Or use it in template files like so:

echo do_shortcode('[sam_reading_time]');

Settings can be accessed via Posts > Reading Time Settings, where you can adjust:

  • Words-per-minute speed
  • Prefix/suffix text around reading time

Credits

Developed by SAM Web Design Agency – https://samwda.ir

License

This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later.
See https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html for details.

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
  3. Navigate to Posts > Reading Time Settings to customize behavior.
  4. Use [sam_reading_time] shortcode in posts or pages to show the reading time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the reading speed?

Yes. You can adjust the WPM value from the settings page.

Where is the settings page?

Under the WordPress Dashboard menu: Posts > Reading Time Settings.

Can I use it in custom post types?

Yes, as long as they support the_content.

Review feed

No reviews available

Screenshots

  1. Reading time output in a post.

    Reading time output in a post.

  2. Simple settings panel under "Posts".

    Simple settings panel under "Posts".

Changelog

2.0

  • Added admin post list column to display reading time for all post types.
  • Added sorting capability for reading time column.
  • Accurate reading time calculation excluding code blocks, images, videos, and HTML tags.
  • Full support for Custom Post Types (CPT).
  • Added Schema.org timeRequired JSON-LD markup for SEO Rich Snippets.
  • Shortcode-aware schema: schema markup only added if [sam_reading_time] is used.
  • Full compatibility with Polylang and WPML for translated content.

1.0

  • Initial public release with shortcode and settings page.