The average reader will read 40,000 words in 2.2 hours when reading at a speed of 300 words per minute (wpm).
Typical documents that are 40,000 words include novels, novellas, and other published books.
You may read faster or slower than this depending on your average reading speed. Adults typically read at about 300 words per minute when reading fiction for enjoyment but that will depend on the type of book or material. For example, technical material such as operating manuals, manual repair guides, or complicated scientific research typically require more focus and attention to detail which can slow reading speeds down to 125 words per minute. College students typically need to be able to read at 400-450 words per minute in order to quickly consume textbook content.
Check out our word counter tool to see how long your text is and how long it will take to read.
What If I'm a Slower Reader?
If you're a slow reader, you may read at closer to 125 to 200 words per minute. This means reading 40,000 words will take you between 3.3 and 5.3 hours.
Want to read faster? Try these tips.
What If I'm a Fast Reader?
If you're a fast reader, you may read at closer to 400 words per minute. This means reading 40,000 words will take you around 1.7 hours.
What Is a Normal Speed for Reading?
There is no "normal" reading speed. Everyone reads at their own speed for both enjyoment and comprehension. Reading speeds between 125 words per minute and 400 words per minute are normal, but the average for leisure reading tends to be around 300 words per minute.
Reading Time by Word Counts
The table below will tell you how long it will take to read typical word counts by different reading speeds. If you want to know how long reading your favorite book or an article will take, check out the table below:
| Word Count | Slow (125 wpm) | Average (300 wpm) | Fast (450 wpm) |
| 125 words | 1 minutes | 0.4 minutes | 0.3 minutes |
| 250 words | 2 minutes | 0.8 minutes | 0.6 minutes |
| 500 words | 4 minutes | 1.7 minutes | 1.1 minutes |
| 600 words | 5 minutes | 2.0 minutes | 1.3 minutes |
| 750 words | 6 minutes | 2.5 minutes | 1.7 minutes |
| 800 words | 6 minutes | 2.7 minutes | 1.8 minutes |
| 1,000 words | 8 minutes | 3.3 minutes | 2.2 minutes |
| 1,500 words | 12 minutes | 5.0 minutes | 3.3 minutes |
| 2,000 words | 16 minutes | 6.7 minutes | 4.4 minutes |
| 2,500 words | 20 minutes | 8.3 minutes | 5.6 minutes |
| 3,000 words | 24 minutes | 10.0 minutes | 6.7 minutes |
| 3,500 words | 28 minutes | 11.7 minutes | 7.8 minutes |
| 4,000 words | 32 minutes | 13.3 minutes | 8.9 minutes |
| 5,000 words | 40 minutes | 16.7 minutes | 11.1 minutes |
| 7,500 words | 60 minutes | 25.0 minutes | 16.7 minutes |
| 10,000 words | 1.3 hours | 33.3 minutes | 22.2 minutes |
| 20,000 words | 2.7 hours | 1.1 hours | 44.4 minutes |
| 25,000 words | 3.3 hours | 1.4 hours | 55.6 minutes |
| 30,000 words | 4.0 hours | 1.7 hours | 1.1 hours |
| 50,000 words | 6.7 hours | 2.8 hours | 1.9 hours |
| 75,000 words | 10.0 hours | 4.2 hours | 2.8 hours |
| 100,000 words | 13.3 hours | 5.6 hours | 3.7 hours |
Reading Time by Page Counts
The table below will tell you how long it will take to read by typical page counts. If you want to know how long reading your favorite book or an article will take, check out the table below:
| Word Count | Slow (125 wpm) | Average (300 wpm) | Fast (450 wpm) |
| 1 pages | 4 minutes | 1.7 minutes | 1.1 minutes |
| 2 pages | 8 minutes | 3.3 minutes | 2.2 minutes |
| 3 pages | 12 minutes | 5.0 minutes | 3.3 minutes |
| 4 pages | 16 minutes | 6.7 minutes | 4.4 minutes |
| 5 pages | 20 minutes | 8.3 minutes | 5.6 minutes |
| 6 pages | 24 minutes | 10.0 minutes | 6.7 minutes |
| 7 pages | 28 minutes | 11.7 minutes | 7.8 minutes |
| 8 pages | 32 minutes | 13.3 minutes | 8.9 minutes |
| 9 pages | 36 minutes | 15.0 minutes | 10.0 minutes |
| 10 pages | 40 minutes | 16.7 minutes | 11.1 minutes |
| 25 pages | 1.7 hours | 41.7 minutes | 27.8 minutes |
| 50 pages | 3.3 hours | 1.4 hours | 55.6 minutes |
| 100 pages | 6.7 hours | 2.8 hours | 1.9 hours |
| 250 pages | 16.7 hours | 6.9 hours | 4.6 hours |
| 500 pages | 33.3 hours | 13.9 hours | 9.3 hours |
| 750 pages | 50.0 hours | 20.8 hours | 13.9 hours |
| 1,000 pages | 66.7 hours | 27.8 hours | 18.5 hours |
