How long does it take to read 300 pages of a book?
It can take from 3 to 10 hours or more to read 300 pages of a book. The determining factors are reading speed and how many words each page has. Paperback books typically have fewer words per page compared to hardcovers, so it takes less time to read 300 pages of a paperback book.
I tested this with my current paperback book, and I was able to read 30 pages in 20 minutes. That would translate to around 300 pages in 3 to 4 hours.
In this post, we have two tables, each going through how long it takes to read a certain number of pages in a given time. The first table is about paperback books, containing 250 words per page, and the latter is about hardcover books containing 500 words per page.
How long does it take to read 300 pages?
It takes around 3 to 10 hours to read 300 pages of a book. The biggest factor is what kind of book you are reading, and how fast you can read. Paperback books typically have fewer words per page, so it takes less time to read books with smaller pages.
It takes around 3-4 hours to read 300 pages of a paperback book, where each page contains 250 words.
It can take up to 10 hours to read 300 pages of a hardcover book, where each page can have 500 words or more.
The topic of the book can also have a huge impact on reading speed. Reading scientific or other non-fiction books might take more time for your brain to process the information.
Fiction books can be typically read faster, since the information in them is not as educative or new, as it might be in scientific books.
Here is a table showing, how long it takes to read a certain amount of pages or words for slow, average, and fast readers.
(wpm = words per minute)
The first table is about smaller books, such as paperback books. In this case, we used 250 words per page, which is from the lower end of the spectrum.
Table: how many 250-word pages in a given time
| Pages (250 words each) | 150 wpm (Slow) | 250 wpm (Average) | 400 wpm (Fast) |
| 1 | 1,7 minutes | 1 minute | 0,6 minutes |
| 2 | 3,3 minutes | 2 minutes | 1,3 minutes |
| 3 | 5,0 minutes | 3 minutes | 1,9 minutes |
| 4 | 6,7 minutes | 4 minutes | 2,5 minutes |
| 5 | 8,3 minutes | 5 minutes | 3,1 minutes |
| 10 | 16,7 minutes | 10 minutes | 6,3 minutes |
| 20 | 33,3 minutes | 20 minutes | 12,5 minutes |
| 25 | 41,7 minutes | 25 minutes | 15,6 minutes |
| 50 | 1,4 hours | 50 minutes | 31,3 minutes |
| 100 | 2,8 hours | 1,7 hours | 1 hour |
| 200 | 5,6 hours | 3,3 hours | 2,1 hours |
| 300 | 8,3 hours | 5 hours | 3,1 hours |
| 400 | 11,1 hours | 6,7 hours | 4,2 hours |
| 500 | 13,9 hours | 8,3 hours | 5,2 hours |
| 1000 | 27,8 hours | 16,7 hours | 10,4 hours |
The next table has examples, of how long it takes to read a specific amount of pages, each containing 500 words with different reading speeds.
Table: how many 500-word pages in a given time
| Pages (500 words each) | 150 wpm (Slow) | 250 wpm (Average) | 400 wpm (Fast) |
| 1 | 3,3 minutes | 2 minute | 1,3 minutes |
| 2 | 6,7 minutes | 4 minutes | 2,5 minutes |
| 3 | 10 minutes | 6 minutes | 3,8 minutes |
| 4 | 13,3 minutes | 8 minutes | 5 minutes |
| 5 | 16,7 minutes | 10 minutes | 6,3 minutes |
| 10 | 33,3 minutes | 20 minutes | 12,5 minutes |
| 20 | 1,1 hours | 40 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 25 | 1,4 hours | 50 minutes | 31,3 minutes |
| 50 | 2,8 hours | 1,7 hours | 1 hour |
| 100 | 5,6 hours | 3,3 hours | 2,1 hour |
| 200 | 11,1 hours | 6,7 hours | 4,2 hours |
| 300 | 16,7 hours | 10 hours | 6,3 hours |
| 400 | 22,2 hours | 13,3 hours | 8,3 hours |
| 500 | 27,8 hours | 16,7 hours | 10,4 hours |
| 1000 | 55,6 hours | 33,3 hours | 20,8 hours |
Can you read 300 pages in one day?
Reading 300 pages a day is possible, however, it does take some time, no matter how fast a reader you are.
Here are some examples of how long it can take:
If the book is small and has an average of 250 words per page, such as a small paperback book:
- Slow reading speed: 8 hours to read 300 pages
- Average reading speed: 5 hours to read 300 pages
- Fast reading speed: 3 hours to read 300 pages
If the book is larger and has more words per page, in this example 500 words per page:
- Slow reading speed: 16 hours to read 300 pages
- Average reading speed: 10 hours to read 300 pages
- Fast reading speed: 6 hours to read 300 pages
On top of that, there are other factors that do play a role, but reading 300 pages a day is doable for an average reader.
What kind of information the book contains also plays a big role. Fiction books do not require as much attention and memorization as non-fiction science books for example.
Therefore, if you want to calculate how long it takes to read 300 pages, keep that in mind. I would add some time for taking notes, if you are reading scientific books for school, for example.
Can you read 300 pages in one week?
Reading a book of 300 pages in one week is completely possible.
If you divide that reading into 5 days, it would mean you have to read 60 pages each day, which would translate to
- 40 to 60 minutes daily, if the book is smaller and has fewer words per page, for example, a small paperback book
- 1 to 2 hours daily, if the book is hardcover or other documents with more words per page
In both cases, reading 300 pages in one week is completely doable in almost every life situation. That one hour can be taken from unproductive activities, such as watching TV or scrolling through your phone. You’d be surprised how much all those activities can take each day.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, it can take around 3 to 10 hours to read 300 pages of a book, depending on the following factors:
- Reading speed
- Words per page
- Topic
Reading speed is one of the biggest factors that you can affect. Even small increases in your reading speed, without compromising your comprehension can make big differences.
Some topics also require more attention and are more difficult to read fast. You might have to take notes, which will increase the time it takes to read 300 pages.
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Have a wonderful day!
