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.
Screenshots
Installation
- Upload the plugin folder to the
/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Navigate to
Posts > Reading Time Settingsto customize behavior. - Use
[sam_reading_time]shortcode in posts or pages to show the reading time.
FAQ
-
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.
Reviews
ডেভেলপার এবং কন্ট্রিবিউটর
“Sam Reading Time” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
কন্ট্রিবিউটর
“Sam Reading Time” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate “Sam Reading Time” into your language.
ডেভেলপমেন্ট এ আগ্রহী?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
2.3
- Better text parsing for precise reading time estimation and minor bug fixes.
2.2
- Improved performance by storing reading time as post meta instead of calculating on every request.
- Faster and more reliable sorting of reading time column in admin post lists.
- Added proper text domain loading (sam-reading-time) for full translation support.
- More stable and accurate Schema.org timeRequired JSON-LD output.
- Minor UI refinements in admin settings page with a cleaner, more minimal red theme.
- Better handling of translated content for Polylang and WPML.
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
timeRequiredJSON-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.