Productivity Calculators
Book reading time.
Enter the length of a book, your reading speed and how many minutes a day you read. See the hours it takes, the days to finish and the finish date, plus the same book at other speeds. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Book and pace
Reading time
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
An 80,000-word novel read at 260 words per minute takes 80,000 / 260 = 307.7 minutes, about 5 hours 8 minutes. At 30 minutes a day that is 307.7 / 30 = 10.3, rounded up to 11 days. Starting on 8 October it would be finished on 18 October. At 200 words per minute the same book takes 400 minutes (14 days at 30 minutes a day).
How it works
Minutes to read = words / words per minute. Days to finish = minutes / minutes per day, rounded up. If you give pages, words = pages x words per page. The finish date counts the start date as the first day of reading and assumes you read every day.
The two preset speeds are the adult silent-reading averages reported in a 2019 review and meta-analysis of reading rate: 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction. The same paper puts oral reading at 183 words per minute. Individual speed varies, and it is lower for children, older adults and readers of English as a second language, so time yourself on a few pages for a better figure.
The comparison table shows the same book at other speeds, from 150 to 400 words per minute, with your minutes per day.
Sources and basis (checked 2026-10-08): Brysbaert, M. (2019), How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate (preprint; abstract opened 2026-10-08 through the Europe PMC record), for 238 wpm non-fiction, 260 wpm fiction and 183 wpm oral reading. Everything else is arithmetic on the numbers you enter.
FAQ
How long does it take to read a book?
Divide the word count by your words per minute. An 80,000-word novel at 260 words per minute takes about 5 hours 8 minutes.
What is the average reading speed?
A 2019 review and meta-analysis of 190 studies estimated the average adult silent reading rate in English at 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction.
How do I convert pages to words?
Choose pages and enter words per page. Around 250 is a common rule of thumb for a paperback, not a published standard, so count the words on a typical page of your edition if you can.
How many days will it take at my daily pace?
Total reading minutes divided by minutes per day, rounded up. 307.7 minutes at 30 minutes a day is 11 days.
Does this work for audiobooks?
Not directly. Audiobook length is on the listing, and speed-up settings change it. This tool is for reading with your eyes.