Reading Time

Computes an estimated reading time and exposes it as page-level metadata.

The Reading Time feature estimates how long a document takes to read and injects that value into the compiled MDX module. It is purely a page-data feature — it emits no DOM element and has no markup or selector to style. The value is available to your page templates, and you decide whether and how to display it.

// zfb.config.ts export default defineConfig({ markdown: { features: { readingTime: true, }, }, });

There is no live demo

Unlike the other features in this category, Reading Time renders nothing on the page. It does not insert a widget, a badge, or any element. Instead it adds a named export to the compiled module, which your TSX page code can read and render however you like.

How the value surfaces

The feature exports the estimate as readingTimeMinutes from the compiled MDX. In a TSX page that renders a collection entry, read it from the rendered entry:

const { readingTimeMinutes, ...rest } = await entry.render();

<p>{readingTimeMinutes} min read</p>;

The value is a whole number of minutes, with a minimum of 1.

Options

// zfb.config.ts — custom words-per-minute
readingTime: {
  wpm: 250, // default is 200
},

Word-counting method

• Latin text is split on whitespace — one token counts as one word.

• CJK characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) each count as one word.

• Code blocks and inline code are excluded from the count.

The estimate is the total word count divided by the configured words-per-minute, ceiling-rounded, with a 1-minute minimum.