How long it takes to read 400 pages or a book with 400 pages?
It can take from 4 to 15 hours to read 400 pages, depending on reading speed and book. Some books contain a lot more words per page, making it more time-consuming to read 400 pages. Paperbacks typically have fewer words per page, making them faster to read.
I just recently tested this with my current paperback book with relatively small pages (around 250 words each). I was able to read 60 pages in 40 minutes, which translates into 400 in 4 or 5 hours, depending on how focused I am.
Something to keep in mind is that I am a pretty experienced reader with years of experience, and the book does have short pages. Hardcover books with more words per page would take significantly longer time.
In this post, we have two tables that go through how long it takes to read a certain amount of pages within a given time, with different reading speeds.
How long does it take to read 400 pages?
It can take anywhere from 4 hours up to 15 hours to read 400 pages, depending on reading speed, the topic of the book, and words per page. Paperback books typically have fewer words per page, making it faster to read 400 pages, compared to large hardcover books.
Another significant player is the topic of the book. Fiction books typically take less effort, since you are not studying a new topic, or learning complicated things.
Fiction books can be read with less focus and more in a fun way, and it’s not going to ruin the book if you miss some words.
Non-fiction and scientific books on the other hand take a lot more commitment and focus. You can not just skim through a science book and expect to learn the topic from it.
On top of that, what makes reading scientific or educative books more time-consuming, is that you should take notes if you really want to learn the topic.
Taking notes doesn’t have to take half of the time spent studying unless you want to. You can just write down the main topics and bullet points of each chapter. That is a really fast and efficient way to remember what you read.
Next, we have the first table, which goes through how long it takes to read a certain amount of pages of 250 words each, with different reading speeds. (wpm = words per minute)
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 is really similar, with the only difference being that the pages are 500 words each.
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 400 pages in one day?
Technically, reading 400 pages in one day is possible. If the book has shorter pages and you are a super fast reader, you could finish a 400-page book within 4 to 5 hours.
That can be done within just one day, but it will pretty much consume all your free time, considering you also have school or work to attend to.
Reading for 4 to 5 hours in just one day can also be really exhausting. Weekends could be better for reading marathons like that.
A more efficient way to read 400 pages, in my opinion, is to develop a reading habit.
Can you read 400 pages in a week?
Reading 400 pages or a book with 400 pages in just one week is completely possible. A book with 400 small pages (250 words each) translates to reading for an hour a day for 7 days if you are an average-speed reader.
If you were to divide that 400 pages into 5 days, considering you take two days off, it would mean 80 pages per day. That 80 pages a day translates into:
- 1 to 1,5 hours daily, if the book is a smaller paperback book with fewer words per page (250 words per page)
- 2 to 3 hours daily, if the book has longer pages with more words (500 words per page)
In both cases, it is completely doable to read a 400-page book in just one week. It is time-consuming and can drain a lot of energy, but reading is typically seen as a really productive activity. There are a lot less useful ways to spend your free time than reading.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, it can take anywhere from 4 to 15 hours to read 400 pages or a book with 400 pages. The determining factors are:
- reading speed
- the topic of the book
- words per page
- taking notes on the book
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 400 pages.
Here are a few related topics:
Hopefully, this was helpful, have a wonderful day, and good luck with your reading marathons!
