Sam Reading Time

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.

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.

1. 

   Reading time output in a post.

2. 

   Simple settings panel under "Posts".

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 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.