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How Long Does It Take to Read a Book? A Simple Guide
August 24, 2026 · 4 min read read
Last updated:
Work out your real reading time from page count and reading speed, and why the number varies so much between books.
"How long will this take me?" is a fair question when you are choosing between a 900-page fantasy and a Thursday night.
The rough numbers
Most adults read printed fiction at 200 to 300 words a minute. A typical page holds about 250 to 300 words.
| Book length | Approx. words | At 250 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| 200 pages | 55,000 | About 3.5 hours |
| 350 pages | 95,000 | About 6.5 hours |
| 500 pages | 135,000 | About 9 hours |
| 800 pages | 220,000 | About 14.5 hours |
So a standard novel is an evening and a half. A big epic fantasy is closer to a weekend away.
Why your real time will differ
- Density. Literary fiction and high fantasy slow almost everyone down. Contemporary romance and thrillers speed almost everyone up.
- Dialogue. Heavy dialogue means shorter lines and more white space, so pages turn faster than the word count suggests.
- Rereading. Complicated magic systems and big casts mean flipping back, and that time is real.
- Interruptions. Twelve five-minute sessions is slower than one hour, every time.
A quicker way to estimate
Time yourself for ten minutes on the book you are actually holding. Multiply the pages you read by six for an hourly rate, then divide the total pages by that number. That gives you a far better estimate than any average.
Making the time count
If you are choosing a book for a holiday or a long weekend, aim slightly under what you think you will get through and bring a spare. Running out of book on day four of a week away is a genuinely miserable experience — which, as it happens, is what the mystery bundles of three were built for.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to read a 300 page book?
- At an average 250 words a minute, roughly five to six hours, though dense prose can push that considerably higher.
- How can I work out my own reading speed?
- Read for ten minutes, count the pages, multiply by six for pages per hour, then divide the book's page count by that figure.
Not sure which to pick first? You can order a blind date with a book instead — three hints on the paper, the book hidden underneath, €17.99 pre-loved or €25.99 new. Check Irish postage times and costs before you order.