How long does it take to read 50 pages of a book?
It takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours to read 50 pages of a book, depending on reading speed, the topic of the book, and words per page. You could read 50 pages of a small paperback book within 30 minutes, whereas larger hardcover might take up to 2 hours to finish 50 pages.
A few days ago, I tested this out with my current paperback book to get some real-life results. I was able to read 50 pages in 35 minutes. The book is quite small and doesn’t have a lot of words per page (around 250 words per page) and I am familiar with the topic already.
I am quite an experienced reader with a lot of books read, so it might take a bit longer for someone, who is just getting started with their reading habit. I am not the fastest reader either, so someone might be able to do the same within just 20 minutes or so.
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 50 pages?
It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more to read 50 pages of a book. The determining factors are reading speed, the topic of the book, and words per page (wpm).
The topic of the book also plays a big role, when it comes to the question of how long it takes to read 50 pages.
Fiction books can typically be read a lot faster since they are not really teaching anything new or important. You also don’t have to take notes (usually) when reading a fiction book.
Non-fiction, scientific and educative books on the other hand might require a lot more focus and concentration to digest the information.
Therefore, you might want to read a bit slower and take notes, when reading more important text.
Words per page also play a huge role, when determining the time it takes to read 50 pages. If one book contains 250 words per page, and another has 500, it takes twice the time to read 50 pages of the latter.
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 identical, with the only difference being that the pages are 500 words each. That might mean a larger hardcover book for example.
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 50 pages in one hour?
50 pages can be read within just one hour by almost anyone. even with an average reading speed, if the book is paperback with not too many words per page (~250), 50 pages can be read within just one hour or less.
Larger books with more words per page might take a bit longer for an average reader. For fast readers, even books with 500 words per page can be read within just one hour.
The topic can also play a big role here as well. If the topic is not familiar to you and you are learning something new, it might take a bit longer than one hour to read 50 pages.
Is Reading 50 pages an hour fast?
Whether reading 50 pages per hour is fast or not, is determined by the book. Small paperbacks with fewer words per page can be really easy to read 50 pages per hour. For larger books with more words per page, 50 pages per hour is a fast reading speed.
Can you read 50 pages a day?
50 pages a day is completely realistic and doable, even for longer periods of time. If you read 50 pages every day for an entire year, we are looking at 18 250 pages read annually.
It can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to read 50 pages daily, which translates from 3,5 hours to 14 hours of reading weekly.
There are a lot worse ways to spend your time than reading, and I would highly suggest you started. Even smaller reading goals can make a difference. Here is a post on how to set good and realistic reading goals.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, it can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to read 50 pages from a book.
The determining factors for how long it takes are:
- reading speed
- the topic of the book
- words per page
- whether you take notes or not
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 50 pages.
Here is a post about reading goals for struggling readers. Check it out, if you want to start reading regularly.
Here are a few related topics:
Hopefully, this was helpful, have a wonderful day, and good luck with your reading marathons!
