Timer
Started
—
Finishes
—
20:00
No ads in fullscreen
My times
- Nothing saved yet. Saved times stay on this device — no account, nothing uploaded.
An audio file up to 1 MB. It stays in this browser and appears as "My sound" in the Sound list.
- Space
- Start or pause
- F
- Fullscreen
- Esc
- Leave fullscreen
- R
- Reset
- ↑
- Add a minute
- ↓
- Take off a minute
- M
- Mute or unmute
Read next: How long should classroom activities actually take?All 8 timers
Silent reading timer for the classroom
Sustained silent reading is the one classroom timer that should make no noise at all. Set it, project it, and let students see how long is left without anything interrupting them.
Sight Word Bingo pack
For the game after the timer goes off: made with our free Bingo Card Generator, this pack is ready for a class. Print it, cut it, play.
- 40 different 5×5 cards, each with its own number
- 48 calling cards to cut out and draw from a bowl
- A caller's checklist to tick as you go
- How to play, with five winning patterns
- Two blank cards and six winner slips
- A QR code that turns any phone or TV into the caller
$3.99
One payment · instant download · US Letter and A4 PDFs
Secure checkout by Gumroad, without leaving this page. Buying a pack is what keeps the free tools free.Every detail of this pack
More class packs
The short answer
Fifteen to thirty minutes is the usual range for sustained silent reading, built up across a term rather than started at the top. Begin where the class can actually hold it — ten minutes is a fair start for a group new to it — and add five minutes every few weeks. Mute the chime: the whole point is an uninterrupted stretch.
Three steps to a timer on the wall
Step 1: Choose a time
Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.
Step 2: Press start
Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.
Step 3: Run the room
Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.
Four things worth knowing
Build the duration up, do not start at the top
A class that cannot hold ten minutes will not hold thirty. Start where they genuinely can, add five minutes every few weeks, and the stamina is real rather than enforced.
Mute the chime
A sound at the end of silent reading defeats the point of the silence. Turn it off and let the timer reaching zero be the signal.
Read yourself while it runs
A teacher reading is the strongest available signal that this is a real activity rather than a gap. Circulating and monitoring says the opposite.
Project it where it is glanceable, not central
Students should be able to check the time without it becoming the thing they watch. A countdown in the corner of the board is better than one filling it.
No ads on your big screen
Ads pay for this page, and they stay on this page. The moment the timer goes fullscreen there is nothing on screen but the time — no banners, no navigation, no surprises in front of a room.
- Fullscreen shows the timer alone
- Ad sounds can never clash with the alarm
- Saved times stay on your device — no account
- Works with an ad blocker, and offline once loaded
Questions people ask
Anything we've missed?
How long should silent reading be?
Fifteen to thirty minutes for a settled class, starting nearer ten for a group new to it. Build up across a term rather than setting the target on day one.
Should the timer be visible to students?
Yes. Being able to see how long is left stops the repeated "how much longer?" and lets students pace their own reading toward a natural stopping point.
Can I turn the sound off completely?
Yes. Mute it and the timer finishes silently, which is what you want in a room where the silence is the activity.
Will the screen go to sleep during a long read?
No. The timer holds a wake lock while it runs, so a thirty-minute countdown stays on the board without the display dimming.
Time something specific
Guides worth reading
- Teaching
How long should classroom activities actually take?
Realistic durations for think-pair-share, group work, silent reading and tidy-up, and why a visible timer changes behaviour more than saying the time aloud.
6 min read - Teaching
How long should a brain break be? Timings, ideas and how to end one
Two to five minutes is the working range for a classroom brain break. How often to run one, what to do in it, and how a visible timer brings the class back.
6 min read
Other timers
- Live
Countdown Timer
Any time you like, rung on time.
- Live
Pomodoro Timer
Twenty-five on, five off, four times.
- Live
Speech Timer
Green, amber, red — the way clubs do it.
- Live
Exam Clock
Start time, finish time, time remaining.
- Live
Interval Timer
Work, rest, repeat — on the gym TV.
- Live
Tabata Timer
Eight rounds, twenty on, ten off.
- Live
Debate Timer
British Parliamentary, Worlds, LD.
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