Reading time calculator
Enter a word count and a reading speed to estimate how long a book or chapter takes to read — with an approximate page and chapter count alongside it.
Reading time is the word count divided by reading speed. The average adult reads about 250 words a minute; adjust the slider to match your readers.
Reading time
5 hr 20 min
- Approx. pages
- 267
- Approx. chapters
- 32
- Words
- 80,000
Key takeaways
- Reading time equals word count divided by reading speed (words per minute).
- The average adult reads roughly 250 words per minute.
- A printed novel page holds about 300 words, so an 80,000-word book is around 270 pages.
- Novel chapters average roughly 2,500 words, though this varies widely by author and genre.
- These are estimates — real reading time depends on the reader and the prose.
How it works
The mechanics behind the numbers
Count the words
Start from the total word count of the book or chapter you want to measure.
Pick a reading speed
Set words per minute. 250 is a typical adult pace; younger or skimming readers differ.
Read the estimate
Reading time is words ÷ speed; pages and chapters are derived from common averages.
Questions
Frequently asked
- How is reading time calculated?
- Reading time is the word count divided by reading speed in words per minute. For example, 80,000 words at 250 words per minute is 320 minutes, or about 5 hours 20 minutes.
- What is the average reading speed?
- Most adults read silently at around 250 words per minute, with a typical range of roughly 200–300. The calculator lets you set your own speed to match your readers.
- How many words are on a page?
- A printed novel page holds about 300 words on average, so the calculator estimates pages as the word count divided by 300. Manuscript pages (double-spaced) hold closer to 250.
- How long does it take to read an 80,000-word novel?
- At an average 250 words per minute, about 5 hours and 20 minutes of reading time. Faster or slower readers will differ, and the calculator updates as you change the speed.
What this page does not claim
- The figures are estimates based on averages, not exact measurements.
- Real reading time varies with the reader, the difficulty of the prose, and re-reading.
- Page and chapter counts are derived from common averages and vary by edition, format, and author.
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